Carrying On, Living Life
by PinaNaranja
Summary: REVAMPED! EdWin, AlOC, Royai What happens when Ed and Al return to Amestris after eight years of being gone? What will the people the Elrics know react to the changes that happened to them due to the horrors of World War II and Auschwitz?
1. Prologue

_**IMPORTANT NOTE! TO ANY WHO HAVE READ PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, THIS STORY IS UNDERGOING A REVAMP! IF YOU HAVE READ PREVIOUSLY, MAKE SURE TO GO BACK AND EITHER RE-READ OR SKIM THE NEW CHAPTERS. ARIGATOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!! ALSO, ANY CHAPTER THAT IS REVAMPED WILL SAY SO. ARIGATOU!**_

_**REVAMPED!!!!!!!!!

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Carrying On, Living Life

_**A/N: Title is subject to change. Pairings: Ed/Win, Al/OC, Roy/Riza. What happens when Ed, Al, and Lily, Alphonse's wife, return to Amestris after eight years? What will the people the Elrics know react to the changes that happened to them due to the horrors of World War II and Auschwitz? **_

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_**Prologue:**_

Edward and Alphonse Elric were shuffled along with the other prisoners toward the building every enslaved person on the encampment feared. The gas chambers. Both brothers were different than they had been eight years before, living in a state of half-ignorance at the true cruelty of the human race. They had been here, in Auschwitz, for a year. They didn't know if it was a miracle or a tragedy that they had been able to survive so long. Now it was ending. The Elric brothers were going to die. Even as they thought of their pasts, they were being marched to their death. They remembered sadness and desperation and love and sorrow and fear and happiness and much pain. Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice. One they hadn't heard in a year.

"Alphonse?" the voice asked fearfully. Al turned around to meet familiar emerald eyes.

"Lily?" Al asked incredulously. Anyone that would have cared to look upon the two could see that they cared for each other deeply. The love that they shared seemed to radiate from their being. Despite this, Al had a heart-broken look on his face. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to die. He had been worrying every second for the past 365 days that she was dead and that he was left alone in the world. The only comfort he could take was that he could be there with her; maybe being able to console her in their last moments on this earth. The two refrained from the strong desire to embrace and merely entwining their fingers together.

"I'm scared, Alphonse." Lily whispered quietly, barely able to be heard above the panicking of the other prisoners and the shouts of the Nazi guards. Her voice was fearful, yet it was still just as strong and independent it had always been.

"I know, Lily. I'm scared too." he whispered to her, squeezing her hand gently.

"Careful." Edward warned in a whisper, eyeing the Nazi guards. All three trembled with fear along with the other prisoners as they were pushed into the chambers. The Nazis forced them to strip their clothing and searched them for valuables for the last time. When they were done, they pushed them into the chambers that were reminiscent of showers. It was the most terrifying place that they had ever been in. The simple innocence of the room, the resemblance to a public bathroom, made the terror even more real. Alphonse pulled Lily close to him, holding her against him as he buried his face into her neck. He stroked what little amount of hair had grown back after the Nazis had shaved them, hoping that he was able to give her at least some comfort. He made sure that her eyes were blinded from the horror of what was about to happen.

The three were given little time to think. As soon as the door was shut, the noxious gas leaked into the room and the final thing any of them saw was darkness.

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Edward awoke in an alley of a city. It was dark, night he supposed, and rain drizzled softly from the black sky. It appeared to be late, due to the darkness and the almost complete emptiness of the city. For a long time he stayed where he was, lying on the ground, trying to rationalize what had happened. Slowly, he looked around, seeing that Alphonse and Lily were lying on the ground beside each other. Both were fully clothed and their hair looked just as it had a year ago, before the Nazis had captured them.

He tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he remembered... the gas chambers. But... how were they here? Where _was_ here? And how were they wearing normal clothes and had normal length hair? Had it all been a dream? No... That was impossible. Something that terrible, that _horrific _couldn't have been a dream. It just _couldn't_ have only been in his head.

Edward heard a group of people rushing down the street, past the alley. They weren't speaking German. They weren't in Germany? Then where the hell were they? The Elrics hadn't left Germany for years! Ed struggled to his feet, feeling incredibly weak. It was as if someone had drained him of days and days of energy or like he hadn't slept in days. Before doing anything else, he checked his brother and sister-in-law for any injuries. They only suffered from the same things that he did: starvation, overwork, abuse, malnutrition. The same as any prisoner in a _Konzentrationslager_. He walked wearily to where the alley opened up into the street and almost fainted in shock.

What Edward was staring at, was Central. They made it. Somehow, someway, after eight long years... They were home. Somehow, they had returned to Amestris without even trying to.

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**_A/N: Well, I just want to thank everyone for reading and would like some feedback about the changes that were made. While I was re-reading over everything I realized that I wasn't completely happy with how it has turned out. Not to mention how many grammatical mistakes I made. Thanks for your lovely reviews! To any new readers, please review! Critism is welcome, but please make it CONSTRUCTIVE!!!!!!!! Arigatou!!!!!!!_**

**_xoxoxoxoxo Gerbil-san_**


	2. First: Home Sweet Home

_**A/N: Okay, well here's the first official chapter! And it's now REVAMPED! Enjoy!!!!!!! **__**For even more plainly stated words... **_

_**REVAMPED!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_**Oh, and I forgot a disclaimer, so... here it is I guess. **_

**_DISCLAIMER: Gerbil-san does not own _FullMetal Alchemist_ because she is not Arakawa-sensei. She does, however, own Lily Engel and Emily Mustang. Sorry, you're gonna have to deal with it. Don't steal either of them because Gerbil-san may be forced to kidnap Eko from LOST's Jesus stick and chase you down. _ **

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_Chapter One: Home Sweet Home_

Gracia Hughes sat in her living room having a nice, simple conversation with Roy Mustang, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, and Riza _Mustang_. The General and First Lieutenant had married a few years after the Elrics had disappeared. They now had a daughter, Emily. The group of mostly retired military officials had come over for Gracia's birthday. The only member of the group that was still enlisted was Kain Fuery. He was due for retirement at the end of the year. All five had grown tired of the military and decided that they wanted to actually _live _the remainder of their lives. Even Roy Mustang had given up on his goal to become Fuehrer, realizing that such a position should not exist, knowing that it in fact was on the verge of not existing. Elysia had gone to sleep long ago. It was pretty late, after all.

It was even later when the five decided that they should go and let Gracia get some sleep. Before they could even stand up to leave, however, there was pounding on the front door. Franticly, desperate pounding. The six adults glanced at each other nervously. Why would someone be desperate to get into the Hughes resident at this time of night?

"I'll get it." Roy said quietly. He pulled on his alchemic gloves that always remained in his pockets before opening the door. It took him a moment to register that the people on the step were even people at all. They were so unnaturally thin that their clothing hung off of them, three sizes too large. It looked as if they were starved. He knew that they had been outside for a long time, because they were nearly soaked to the skin even though it was only drizzling rain. Roy didn't recognize the woman, but after another moment he recognized who the two men were. Edward and Alphonse Elric were back. They stood on the Hughes' stoop with a half-conscious woman supported between them.

"Edward?" Roy managed to choke out, trying to get past his shock. "Alphonse?"

"General-?" Ed started to question. Alphonse cut him off before he could finish his sentence, however.

"General... Lily... she needs help. Please, you need to help her." Alphonse whispered desperately. His voice was full of extreme fear. Roy silently thought to himself that all three needed serious help, but Alphonse was right. The woman named Lily definitely needed it most. She was much thinner than either of the men and her face was flushed crimson.

"Yes, of course." Roy moved forward. "Let me carry her. You two look like you're going to collapse at any moment." Ed relinquished his hold on the woman almost immediately but Al held on. He met the General's eyes and that was when Roy realized it. Alphonse was in love with this girl. Roy kept eye contact with the young man until Alphonse very slowly let go, trusting that the former General would do his best to help her. When he did release the girl, Roy gathered the woman into his arms. She was light. Much too light for any person above the age of five. "Riza! Havoc! Breda! Fuery! We need some help here!" Roy shouted into the house. As Roy moved, he could feel Lily's ribs digging into his chest. They had to be starved.

Riza, Havoc, Breda, and Fuery rushed into the hallway, guns in hand. When they saw the sickly woman they holstered their weapons. They did a double take when they saw the two weary men behind the General.

"Edward? Alphonse? Is that you?" Riza asked, amazement clear in her voice.

"Hello Lieutenant." Edward said. His voice was also in whisper. This surprised every one of the people in the room. Not only was his voice quieter than they had ever heard before, but it sounded... defeated. It sounded as if he had been beaten down for too long and he had simply given up. Edward Elric was a _very _different person than what he had been before.

Gracia entered the room and gasped at the sight. Without a word, she led them upstairs to an extra bedroom. Breda and Havoc helped Edward and Alphonse when they saw that the two were swaying slightly. The shocking part was when the Elric brothers, infamous for their stubborn independence, didn't resist. They simply allowed themselves to lean on the two men for support.

In the room that Gracia led them to were two beds, one twin and one queen. Roy laid Lily down on the queen bed and Riza and Havoc got Ed to lay down in the twin bed with almost no resistance. Alphonse, however, refused to lie down, showing that the Elric stubbornness wasn't entirely gone. He walked unsteadily to where a chair sat in the corner and dragged it to the bed where Lily lay. He sat down in the chair as he slipped his hand into the unconscious girl's. Riza and Gracia set to work, trying to help the woman in any way they could. Their main concern was bringing down the high fever that was making the woman groan slightly and move her head back and forth slowly. The two would glance at themselves nervously every time she would moan, seeing the distress on Alphonse's face. He just sat there silently, holding her hand and squeezing it gently whenever she would moan in pain.

Eventually, sometime late in the night after Lily's fever was finally beaten down, the two women managed to get Alphonse to lie down. He moved to lie on the bed next to Lily, slipping an arm under her shoulders. In her sleep, the woman turned and moved closer into his warm embrace. Alphonse fell asleep almost immediately, pausing only to place a light kiss on her temple. The two women sighed and looked at the three before leaving the room and going down to the kitchen where they had sent the men to get them out of the way.

The said men looked up when the women entered the room. Roy stood immediately, giving his seat to Riza. Havoc stood, surrendering his seat to Gracia. The men looked at each other as Gracia put her face in her hands before running a hand through her hair and Riza massaged her temples, her eyes closed.

"So... how are they?" Roy asked, letting his hands rest on Riza's shoulders.

"They're doing pretty well, considering that it looks like they've been starved and beaten." Riza said in a shaky, half-monotone.

"Starved and beaten?" Roy asked. "What the hell happened to them?!"

"I don't know. Whatever happened... They're covered in scars. They're starved. They are a mess altogether." Gracia said solemnly. She had never seen anyone in as bad of shape as the three people in her guest bedroom were.

"They all have crude tattoos on their forearms." Riza said quietly. "Blue numbers. It's like someone's numbered them. It seems like someone has branded them like livestock."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment. Branded? Why in the world would they be _numbered_? Catalogued like an animal? What had happened to them? Where had they been?

"Who's the girl, though?" Breda asked.

"Well... I think she might be Alphonse's wife." Gracia said. "They were both wearing wedding rings. And you saw how Alphonse was acting. He's obviously head over heels in love with her."

"Alphonse got _married_?" Roy questioned in shock. Both Riza and Gracia nodded. For some reason, he couldn't imagine Alphonse getting married. He just couldn't get his head around the idea. It was obvious, however, that he was hopelessly in love with this woman named Lily even if they were not married. Roy sighed. "The military's going to be up their asses. They'll want to know about Liore, what happened in the attack on Central, and what the hell happened to them in the past eight years. We can't let anyone know they're back, yet. They'll have to lay low until we can come up with a good cover story and can get them into shape. They won't be able to deal with a full military interrogation in their current condition." Roy said.

"They can stay here as long as need be." Gracia said. "It will be nice having some other people around here with Elysia and I."

After a moment of thought, Fuery spoke. "What about Winry? Edward's mechanic?"

"We'll need to call her, Roy." Riza said.

"We'll call her in the morning. Then she can talk to Ed. She isn't going to believe that they're back unless she talks to Ed or Al." Roy said.

The only thing left for any of them to do was wait and see what the day would bring. Whether that was good or bad, no one could tell.

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Alphonse woke up feeling tired and sore. For a moment he wondered why he was in such a soft bed, or why he was so warm and comfortable. Shouldn't he still be holed up in the Auschwitz barracks on the wooden bunks that had too many people? Then he remembered. They were home. They had no idea how they had survived the poisonous gas, or how they had gotten home, but they were there. And at the moment, that's all that mattered to Alphonse.

The young man looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms. He gently ran his hand through her long dark hair. It had been a year since he'd been able to hold her like this. He had missed her more than anything while in that camp. Auschwitz split up the men and women just like any other _Konzentrationslager_. It was terrible, being away from her. Ever since he met Lily she had been by his side up to that day save for once. He had never been devoid of her presence for more than a day other than that single time. And he hadn't even been conscious for that single instance. Being in that camp, treated like an animal and being forced to work while being dehumanized had been bad enough, but being separated from Lily had been almost unbearable. It was the worst thing the Nazis could have done to them. It made Alphonse worry and fear everyday about whether she was alive or not. Whether there would be a reason for him to continue _living_ or not.

While Alphonse gazed down at Lily's sleeping form, he remembered how they had met.

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_Edward and Alphonse Elric were walking through the streets of London, making their way back to the apartment that Gracia let them stay in. They had just gotten back from another dead end on Huskisson's bomb. It had been two years since the Elric brothers had been reunited. Two years since they started another journey of frustrating dead ends and little or no information on any given rumor. Even worse, the Gate had somehow drawn them in when they had destroyed it, taking them to the year 1934 instead of 1923. They didn't know how it had happened, but Gracia took them in anyway, no questions asked. When they had arrived, she had already married the Hughes of this world and had two children. Alicia and Marc. _

_Edward had been shocked that the Nazis were coming back to power. He was also shocked to see Hitler had written a book. Mein Kampf. What a load. "My struggles;" Ed had laughed bitterly when he saw it for the first time, realizing that Hitler was in power and that people actually bought the shit he spoon-fed them. Al had asked what it meant and Ed told him. After Al mastered the German language, he read it because he wanted to know how the person his brother called a psychotic bastard thought. He had been outraged when he read it. _

_Two years later, they were walking down the street. As they walked, something caught Alphonse's eye. He looked across the street and saw a girl that looked to be about his age struggling against three men much larger and stronger than she was. He yelled his brother's name and ran across the street to help the girl. _

_Both Ed and Al were surprised that the girl was actually holding her own against the men. Somehow, she had managed to break one man's nose, injure one's wrist, and given the third a limp. Despite this, she was still outmatched and outnumbered. By the time Ed and Al had reached the alley the men had pushed her against the wall and were currently trying to rip her shirt. Al felt anger bubble up inside of him. He knew it was stupid to do so, considering that the man was twice his size, but he tackled the man with the broken nose that was holding the girl to the wall. Ed had already knocked the man with the limp out by a hard punch with his automail arm and was taking care of the man with the injured wrist. _

_Unfortunately, Al had no weapon on him as Ed did. He couldn't hit the man that was dazed and knock him out with a single punch. But he could do something. Alphonse stood and kicked the man in the stomach. Hard. The man stood and leered over him anyway, half doubled over in pain. He lunged for Al but the boy was too quick for him. He darted to the side and kicked the man in the face with only a slight twinge of guilt about how much pain the guy would feel when he woke up. This guilt was dispelled when he saw the girl. Al turned to look at his brother who was still attempting dispatching the man with the injured wrist. He didn't worry, though; Ed was perfectly capable to hold his own against the man. Al turned the opposite way to see the girl sitting on the ground, her legs curled to her chest and her arms clamped around her legs tightly. Tears trailed down her face and she had a bad cut over her eye and a split lip. Al felt the anger well up again at this injustice but pushed it down. Anger wouldn't help this girl right now. _

_He walked over and kneeled next to her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Al asked, concern in his voice. The girl looked up at him with scared, green eyes. She nodded, a strand of her long, dark brown hair falling in her eyes. Al noticed that she was wearing a short sleeved shirt in the cold air so he took off his coat and laid it over her shoulders gently. "Do you have a place to stay?" he asked quietly. The girl said nothing, she only shook her head. Al sighed, hating that there were people his age in this world that were on the streets alone. It was terrible. Things never got that bad in Amestris. They at least had people to stay with. "You can come with Nii-san and I. We have room for another. Is that all right with you?" The girl looked up at him, contemplating his offer. She nodded quietly. "Can you tell me your name?" Alphonse asked her, his voice gentle._

_"Lily. Lily Engel." she answered, her voice surprisingly strong. _

_"I'm Alphonse." Al looked over his shoulder and pointed at Ed who was standing a little ways behind him, breathing heavily. "That's my older brother, Edward." Lily nodded. "Can you stand?" Lily nodded again and struggled to her feet, one hand holding Alphonse's coat around her shoulders. _

_"Thank you." Lily said quietly after a few minutes of walking. "Thank you for saving me, Alphonse, Edward." _

_"No problem." Al answered with a small smile. Lily granted him a little smile back and looked down. Even if Alphonse didn't know it, Edward did. His little brother liked this girl. He could tell by the way Al watched her carefully, his eyes never leaving her, as if making sure she was as okay as she had indicated. Edward knew that Lily wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. That is, not if Alphonse had anything to say about it. If Al had heard his brother's thoughts, he would have agreed. _

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Alphonse brought himself out of his memories and gazed down at his wife. He smiled a small smile to himself before he gazed down at his hand. He wondered vaguely how they had their wedding rings again. The Nazis had taken everything of value before they had stripped them; both of their clothing and of their uniqueness and individuality. How could they have such things as jewelry and clothing now? He had noticed earlier that Lily had her locket around her neck once more. The locket that she hadn't taken off; not once in all the years he had known her. Then again, if their hair could grow back in so little time and they could be back in Amestris, were having their wedding rings really that unbelievable?

Al was worried, though. Why was Lily so much skinnier and deprived than he and Ed were? She was just as strong as he was. She shouldn't be this sick if he wasn't. Unless... unless the Nazis did something to her that they didn't do to him. The thought brought fear, dread, and anger into Al's mind. If they had done anything to her, he would find a way back and kill them himself. Then Al felt the creeping sense of paranoia sneak into his senses. What if they did something to Lily? What if they did something that took her away from him? He didn't think he would be able to carry on if Lily died. How could he live life without her by his side? With these grim thoughts in his mind, he tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer to him. Alphonse was broken from his thoughts when Gracia entered. At first, she didn't notice that Alphonse was awake.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hughes." Al said quietly.

Gracia jumped slightly. "Oh, good morning, Alphonse. I didn't realize you were awake. How are you feeling?" Gracia asked kindly.

Alphonse didn't say anything. How could he answer? He had been hungry for so long that he had gotten used to the gnawing feeling of his stomach convulsing in upon itself. He was so used to pain he could barely distinguish it from anything else. He wasn't about to tell Gracia that though. Nobody here in Amestris would be able to understand what they went through. They couldn't possibly understand. The only people that would have even the slightest hint of being able to understand were the Ishballans.

"Is... is Lily going to be okay?" Al asked quietly, not moving from his current position of holding Lily close to him.

Gracia didn't know what to say. She honestly didn't know if Lily was going to be okay or not. She didn't even know how any of them were alive. The previous night, Gracia had noticed the detached look in Edward and Alphonse's eyes. The only time she saw emotion in either of their eyes was when Alphonse was referring to or looking at Lily.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Alphonse." Gracia told him, trying to sound like she believed it herself. Fortunately, over the years she had become skilled at bending the truth on things such as this. She had been forced to tell Elysia she was okay every time her daughter caught her mourning over Maes. "Is she... is Lily really your wife?" she asked timidly.

Alphonse nodded before looking down at the woman in his arms. After a few minutes, Alphonse spoke in a choked voice. "What if they did something to her? What if they did something to her that's making her sicker than me? What if I can't help her?" he asked, speaking to himself more than to Gracia.

"Lily will be fine, Al." Gracia and Al turned to see Ed awake, sitting up in his bed. "She's too stubborn to let anything keep her down for long."

Al nodded again, stroking Lily's hair and blinking back his worried tears. Gracia stood while Edward got up and sat on the edge of the bed that Al and Lily were laying on, resting his hand on his little brother's shoulder. Gracia looked around the room nervously, feeling like she was intruding on the three before speaking.

"Would you two like some breakfast?" Gracia asked. Ed and Al didn't answer. They were so quiet now. The Elric brothers had been anything _but_ quiet. It felt surreal and eerie that they were so silent now. "I'll bring something up." Gracia said quietly.

Edward and Alphonse didn't say anything. During their year at Auschwitz, they would be beaten and punished for speaking. They had learned to communicate without words. Everyone had. The tortures that happened to them in the _Konzentrationslager_ would stay with them for the rest of their lives. They would never forget what happened to them. They never _could_ forget. They were changed because of what had happened to them. Some things, however, needed to be spoken aloud. Some things needed to be spoken with words.

"Nii-san?" Al asked quietly, still lying on the bed with Lily in his arms.

"Yeah, Al?" Ed responded.

"You should call Winry." Al told him quietly. Ed said nothing; he only looked at the floor. "Nii-san, you are going to call her aren't you? Let her know we're back?" Edward still said nothing. "Ed?"

"I'll call her when we're better, Al." Ed said.

"Why not now, Nii-san!?" Al exclaimed. "We don't know _when _we're going to get better! You've been waiting to see Winry for _eight years_! _Winry_ has been waiting for you for eight years! Do you really want to make her wait _even longer_!?"

Ed sighed. "I don't want her to see me like this, Al. I... I can't tell her about what happened to us. I _can't_ explain what happened to us. I'll call her when we're better."

Alphonse disentangled himself from Lily carefully and sat up. "You're just making excuses, Nii-san."

"Excuses for what?" Ed asked dubiously.

"For being scared." Al spoke again before he could say anything else. "You're scared of telling Winry how you feel. You're scared that she won't feel the same way that you do. You're scared that she won't love you and you're scared that Winry stopped waiting for you. You're scared that she's moved on and forgotten about you, Nii-san." Alphonse told him with complete seriousness.

Edward's eyes were wide and he was gaping. "How did you-?" he started to ask but Al cut him off.

"It's a gift." Alphonse said with the slightest hint of a grin. He turned back to Lily, slipping his hand into hers. He was sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, gazing down at his wife. "You shouldn't keep Winry in the dark, Ed. It's just going to hurt you both even more."

Edward looked at his younger brother. He had never seen him so worried. If Lily didn't wake up soon, Alphonse would explode. He remembered seeing _Lily _this worried about _Alphonse_, but the roles had been reversed. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She'll be okay, Al."

Alphonse sighed. "I hope so." They didn't know how long they sat there. It could have been ten minutes or twenty or even thirty. All they knew was that after a long time of silence, Lily started to stir. Alphonse quickly moved closer to her.

"Lily?" he questioned with concern.

Lily groaned slightly and opened her eyes, blinking against the sunlight. She looked around the room with confusion before her jade eyes met Al's grayish-brown ones. "Alphonse..." she whispered in a soft, sweet voice. Alphonse squeezed her hand gently.

"Are you okay?" Al asked, gently caressing her face with his free hand. Lily nodded slightly and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice tired.

"Central. We're in Gracia and Elysia Hughes' place." Al answered. She opened her eyes in shock, looking around the room.

"Central? You mean we're in _Amestris_? Really? We made it?" she asked in amazement. Al nodded. "But how... how did we get here? How are we...?"

"We don't know." Ed answered.

Lily nodded and began to sit up but was stopped when Alphonse put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. "You shouldn't sit up, Lily. You should rest."

Lily sighed and looked at him. "I'm fine, Alphonse."

"Lily! You've been unconscious for hours! You're _not_ okay!" Al exclaimed. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Lily... Why... Why are you so much worse than Ed and I are?"

Lily sighed and looked away. She seemed reluctant to say whatever it was that she was keeping quiet. "There... there were these two girls in our compound for the last couple months. They were nine, maybe ten at the most. We were shocked the Nazis hadn't taken them away. Another woman and I gave half of our rations to them everyday. They were tiny. They were so small, even with more food than anyone else there." Alphonse and Edward looked at each other with shock as Lily looked away. Al put his other hand on his occupied one, the one already in Lily's. The three were saved from saying anything further when former General Roy Mustang entered, followed by Gracia who was carrying a breakfast tray.

The three knew they were going to have to answer questions. Questions they didn't want to answer. Questions that they weren't _ready _to answer but would have to answer anyway. Questions that would bring up bad memories. Questions that would bring up memories of the place that the three considered hell. Auschwitz.

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**_A/N: As always, please review!!!!!!!!!! Thanks bunches!!!!!!! Aishiteru!_**

**_xoxoxoxo Gerbil-san_**


	3. Second: The Enlightenment

**_REVAMPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ **

_A/N: Okay, here's the revamped version of Chapter Two! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!_

_DISCLAIMER: Once again, Gerbil-san is not Arakawa-sensei or working for FUNimation or VIZmedia. Therefore, she does not own _FullMetal Alchemist_. But, she does own Lily Engel and Emily Mustang (who is not in this chapter and isn't a main character). She also owns many other Original Characters (OC's) that have not been introduced yet. DON'T STEAL THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arigatou!_

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_Chapter Two: The Enlightenment_

Gracia gave the three their breakfast silently, knowing that Roy was going to start asking painful questions soon. She smiled kindly at Lily, who had a bewildered look on her face.

"I'm Gracia." she told the woman, handing her a plate of food.

"I-I'm Lily." she answered. When Ed and Al said there were people identical to the ones in her world, they weren't kidding. Gracia Hughes looked exactly like the Gracia she knew back in Munich. Gracia smiled at her and left the room.

"Hello Fullmetal. Alphonse. Uh... it was Lily, wasn't it?" Roy asked her. She nodded.

"I'm not 'Fullmetal' anymore, General. I'm not a dog of the military anymore." Ed said vehemently.

"Well, I'm not a General anymore, Edward." Roy told him. "You'll have to deal with the military sooner or later anyway, however. They're still investigating Liore and you're still a prime suspect. You'll have to give them a statement. They want to know what happened. They still don't have an explanation, even after ten years." Roy told him seriously.

Ed sighed. "They'll never believe the truth. We _can't_ tell them the truth. They'll arrest us."

Roy smirked. "I never said that you should tell them the truth."

Ed's face acquired an evil smirk that had rarely been seen in ten years. "Why Mustang, I didn't know you could be so mischievous. What story should we tell them?"

"And we'll have to explain Lily." Al said. "Twenty-two year old women don't just appear out of then air. We'll have to come up with a good excuse as to where we've been all these years, too. They definitely won't believe we've been in a parallel world for eight years. It's going to be tricky."

"Well, we can explain Lily easily." Roy said. "Riza already helped me forge some documents. We just have to fill it out with some of Lily's information." Roy turned to Lily. "You've lived in Central your whole life before meeting these two troublemakers. You disappeared at the same time as Alphonse. If you can talk to Riza later and tell her any information she needs to know, that would be good. We can deal with that later though. The military won't find out the Elrics are back until you've been spotted. That means you need to stay inside, out of sight, and do _nothing stupid_." Roy said with slight exasperation.

Ed was about to say some smart ass remark until Al cut him off. "Of course we will."

For a few moments silence clouded the room. The three younger adults were sitting on the bed Lily and Alphonse had slept in. Al's hand was twined with Lily's and all three were staring at the floor with painful expressions on their faces. Then Roy broke the silence.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Roy exclaimed. "You've been gone for eight years, then out of nowhere you come back suffering from starvation, malnutrition, abuse, and who knows what else! _What happened?_" Edward and Alphonse were silent, refusing to speak. "Where were you." Roy demanded.

"Munich." Lily said when it was obvious neither Ed nor Al were going to speak. "A city called Munich, in a country called Germany."

Ed sighed, and started to explain. "When I first went through the Gate, I ended up in a place called London in 1921. When Al and I went back through, after we destroyed the Gate, we somehow ended up in 1934 instead of 1923. The Gate put us eleven years into the future. The Nazis that had just been beaten down by the police were coming back to power with the help of their 'Fuehrer,' Adolf Hitler." Ed explained.

"Hitler's goal was to form the 'perfect race' in Germany. He believed that the Jewish people, the Roma, and others were dirtying the 'ancient Aryan race.' He and the Nazis decided to make a plan. They called it the 'Final Solution'". Alphonse explained.

"What is it?" Roy asked. The three were silent. "What's this 'final solution'?"

"Genocide." Lily said after a long moment of silence. "He wanted to kill every Jew, Roma, cripple, and anyone who sympathized with them. They would arrest anyone they suspected and send them to a _Konzentrationslager_. A concentration or death camp. We were sent to Auschwitz, the worst of all the death camps." Lily laughed a cruel, bitter laugh. "Over the entrance to Auschwitz was a sign that read '_Arbeit macht frei_.' That translates into 'work will make you free.' It was a blatant lie. The Auschwitz camps were work camps. They made us work meaningless tasks until we would kill ourselves. There were actually three Auschwitz camps. We were held in Birkenau. It was one of the worst. When we arrived, they would shave our heads and number us. It was supposed to make us less human. If someone managed to escape, they would kill ten random people from their cell block. The doctor of the camp, Josef Mengele, would do experiments on the children and the sick. If you were sent to the hospital of the camp, you would most likely not come out again." Lily paused, trying to compose herself. "To kill mass amounts of people, the Nazis would send us into shower-like rooms and kill everyone with poisonous gas that was used to kill lice. To really torture people before they died, they would put a group of people into a room with a limited oxygen supply and let them suffocate. Sometimes, they would light candles to use up oxygen faster. They would make us bury the bodies they didn't burn. We were stuck in that place for a year. It was hell. It was the closest thing to hell that is on Earth." Lily's voice shook the longer she spoke. During her monologue, her body trembled and Alphonse wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "The... The last thing we remember is being put into the gas chambers and blacking out. We shouldn't be here... we should be dead. Why... why did we survive, when so many died? Why are we so special compared to the thousands before us?" Lily whispered. Al tightened his hold on her, pulling her into his body and letting her cry on his shoulder.

Roy was shocked. He slowly sat in a chair that was nearby. It was a lot to take in, that any person could do something so terrible to another human being. How could they have survived a year in a place like that? How could that even be _possible_?

"How did you get arrested?" Roy's voice was choked.

"Lily comes from a Jewish family. They arrested us because we were with someone who has a Jewish bloodline. Because we were housing Lily. They didn't care if people didn't practice the Jewish faith; they would arrest anyone with Jewish blood, or anyone who looked Jewish." Ed answered. "When they arrested me, they tried to figure out how my automail worked. I was lucky. They couldn't figure it out; the mechanics were too advanced for them."

Roy nodded slightly. Everything was silent. Roy thought that the three could use some time alone together. They needed to recover. Although, Roy didn't see how they were ever going to be able to get Ed and Al in the right shape to be able to fend off all the inquiries of the military. They were broken, both emotionally and physically.

"I... I'm going to go speak with Gracia." Roy said quietly and left the room.

The three sat on the bed, staring blankly into space, or in Lily's case into Alphonse's shoulder. Having to say and hear things about the torture they went through was like reliving the whole thing over again. Like reliving the nightmarish hell they lived in for a year. All three were thinking about how amazing it was that they were alive. The amazement however, was coupled with guilt. As Lily had said, why should they have the right to live when so many others had died? Thousands of others had died, so why should they singularly have the right to live? What did they do to deserve the right to live when so many innocent people had died? Lily could feel herself starting to get pulled back into her memories. She felt herself start to shake in fear. She didn't want to remember. She didn't want to have to remember that hellish place ever again. To stop the memories from coming, she broke the silence.

"Have you called Winry yet?" Lily asked, her voice still showing signs that she was crying.

Ed sighed, knowing where this was going. "No, I haven't."

Lily turned and looked at her brother-in-law with confusion. "Why not? What are you waiting for?"

Ed looked away for a moment. He stood, leaving the room. Al sighed at his brother's stubbornness. Why did he have to have such a stupid, obstinate, single-minded older brother? Alphonse turned to Lily to attempt to explain his brother's stupidity.

"He said he doesn't want her to see him like this. He's really just scared that she doesn't love him or that she moved on. He said that he'd call her when we're better. I don't think he realizes that us getting better could take months. He's just _so_ stubborn." Al explained, sighing.

Lily sighed too. "He's such an idiot. If he's a prodigy, like I've been told, why is he so stupid and idiotic?"

"I have asked myself that same question many times." Al said with a laugh.

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**_A/N: Okay, hope you enjoyed the revamped version! Who should know the drill by now, review, give some advice, maybe some contructive crtism, yada yada yada. Anyway, I just want to thank everyone for being so patient. I'm almost done with the revamp... ummm -ation? Revampation... Wow, I made up another word... Anyway, I'm almost done revamping so Chapter 6 should be out... soon, hopefully. I should be able to be done revamping by tomorrow night, so after I get everything up and posted I'll start working on Chapter 6. Arigatou everyone! Aishiteru!!!!!!!!!!!_**

**_xoxoxo Gerbil-san_**


	4. Third: Road to Recovery

_REVAMPED!!!!!!!!!!_

_A/N: Hey guys, here's another revamped chapter! I would have posted it last night, but it was late... Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!_

_DISCLAIMER: As always, _FullMetal Alchemist_ is owned by Arakawa-sensei, not Gerbil-san. She does, however own the characters of Lily Engel/Elric and Winnie Richter. Amongst others that do not appear in this chapter. Arigatou!_

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_Chapter Three: Road to Recovery_

It had been a month since Edward, Alphonse, and Lily had arrived in Central. They were progressing much more slowly than anyone would have thought or hoped, however. Everyone who knew Ed and Al knew that Elrics were naturally fast healers. This time, however, they were moving ahead with tedious slowness. In all, the three still had appetites that were nearly nonexistent, and they had gained _maybe_ fifteen pounds. That is, _if _you combined their gained weight together. Everyone was also trying to get Edward to call Winry. He still adamantly refused to call the mechanic. No matter what anyone said, he would not budge on the subject. His stubbornness was getting very tedious.

Roy and Riza were frequent visitors to the Hughes' residence along with their daughter. Gracia, Riza, and Lily became friends rather quickly. Ed and Al especially, were happy Lily had made friends with the two. Alphonse had been worried about how Lily would adjust to life in Amestris. His worries were abated though. Lily was doing fine except for the occasional homesickness. Neither of the brothers had been surprised when the three women became friends. Lily had been good friends with Gracia and Riza's alternate personalities in her own world.

True, all three of the young adults were different. Everyone could tell. Even though they hadn't known Lily before, they somehow knew the woman had changed just as much as Edward and Alphonse had. All three were still very quiet and didn't speak much. They hadn't spoken about their time in Germany since they had explained to Roy what had happened. Roy had told Gracia and Riza what had happened to them and the three adults tried to get them to talk about it, to relieve some of the stress, to no avail. The only one who spoke about Germany at all was Lily. She would sometimes talk about people she knew there, before meeting Ed and Al. Even when Lily was with Gracia and Riza she would still say very little. The person Lily told about Germany most was Elysia and Emily. Lily would spend a lot of time with the young girls. Both would ask Lily about her home and Lily would answer completely honestly, if not hiding some things. She never told the girls about any of the political problems, or about the war and Nazis, but she would tell them almost anything they wanted to know about people she knew. Other than this, no one spoke about Germany. Often, someone would catch at least one of the three sitting and staring into space. Usually they would be unconsciously rubbing the blue marks on their arms. According to Riza, they could possibly be suffering from post-traumatic shock disorder.

The thing that Gracia noticed, however, was that the person most annoyed about Edward's refusal to call Winry was Lily. She couldn't understand why, though. Lily had never met Winry, so why was she so frustrated? Gracia had assumed that Alphonse would be the person bothering Edward to call Winry the most, but Lily had taken that role. Not a day went by that Lily didn't ask Edward when he was going to call Winry. Frankly, Lily seemed to be most frustrated at Edward's stubbornness to admit that he _wanted _to call Winry. She was getting more annoyed every day. That's why when Lily came to Gracia after Edward and Alphonse fell asleep, asking for Winry's phone number, she was not surprised, but still wondering at the woman's reason for her annoyance.

"Why are you so upset about this?" Gracia asked, clearly confused by Lily's actions. "You've never met Winry."

Lily looked away, feeling guilty. The reason she was so frustrated with Edward... She had never told Alphonse and Edward about Winnie. They just thought that Lily was frustrated that Edward was being such a dumb ass. They had no idea that it was anything more than that.

"I've never met Winry Rockbell, but I did know Winifred Richter. Winnie. She hated being called Winifred. She would ignore anyone who called her that until they asked her by her nickname." Lily said quietly. "We were best friends. My parents died when I was younger. My father died when I was about seven and my mother died three years later, when I was ten. I didn't have any other family, so Winnie made her family take me in. Her family had never liked me that much. Winnie died when we were fourteen. She got sick with pneumonia. I sat by her, as she died. She told me she was sorry, because we both knew when she was gone I'd be back on the streets. The Richter's were all about how much money a person owned and what their status was. Winnie hated her family for it. After she died, her family did exactly what we expected. They threw me out on the streets with nothing. I don't know Winry, but if she was anything like Winnie... I just... Maybe, in my head, I think if I help Winry Rockbell, I might be able to make up for how much pain and strife my presence put Winnie and her family through. Maybe if I help Winry, I won't feel so guilty about Winnie dying." Lily spoke softly, her voice filled with complete honesty.

Gracia looked at the young woman. "Do Edward and Alphonse know? About Winnie?" Gracia asked. Lily shook here head. "I won't say anything, then." Gracia led Lily to the phone in the kitchen, writing the phone number on a scrap of paper. "You'll have a lot of convincing to do. Winry is extremely skeptical when it comes to any information relating Ed and Al."

"I assumed so." Lily told her. Gracia left the room and Lily dialed the number. It rang twice before it was picked up.

"Rockbell's Automail, Winry Rockbell speaking." Lily had to hold in her gasp. This woman... she sounded just like Winnie. "How may I help you?"

"Um, hello. My name is Lily and I know this going to be hard to believe, but please keep an open mind."

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Winry had an odd feeling in her stomach as the woman on the other line spoke. She felt like she knew this woman somehow, even though she knew it was the voice of a stranger. It still felt like she knew her.

"Um, hello. My name is Lily and I know this going to be hard to believe, but please keep an open mind." Winry listened to the woman's voice and realized the feeling in her stomach was something similar to déjà vu. "You don't know me, but we have a friend in common. I'm calling because... well, to be frank, I'm calling because he's being too much of a stubborn ass to call you."

"Who is this friend?" Winry asked, feeling wary.

She could hear the woman take a deep breath. "Edward Elric."

Winry felt her hand shake and had an urge to hang up the phone right now. Who was this woman? How dare she call, acting like Edward was still here? "How do you know Ed?" Winry's voice was mostly monotonous, but had a slight twinge of anger in it. She had learned long ago to regard any information that related to Ed and Al with skeptism. She had been hurt too many times by being told they were back, only to find out it was just some cruel rumor.

The woman's voice grew wary. "Ed... he's..." she heard the woman named Lily took a deep breath before she continued to talk. "Edward is my brother-in-law. I'm Alphonse's wife."

Of all the strange answers Winry had expected, this was definitely not one of them. This had to be a prank. Alphonse married? No one had ever had enough gall to say something like _this_ before. "Look, I don't know who you are but don't call back here again. Edward and Alphonse Elric disappeared a long time ago. There's no way they can be back. It's impossible. I watched Roy Mustang destroy their only way home with my own eyes. Don't call back here, whoever you really are." Winry was about to hang up when she was stopped by the woman's tone of voice. This woman named Lily's voice was not the voice of the others who had called. She sounded completely honest. She didn't sound like a liar.

"They're back, Winry. They got back. We don't know _how _we got back, but we did."

"Do you really expect me to believe that you are Al's wife?!" Winry yelled. "I've been told Ed and Al returned so many times over the past eight years, I've heard just about everything, but _Alphonse's wife?_ Do you really expect me to believe that?!"

"I don't expect you to believe anything. I hope that you'll believe what I'm saying, for Ed's sake and your own. I'm telling you the truth, Winry. I married Alphonse two years ago." Lily sighed and spoke again. "When you were five Ed and Al fought over who would marry you. You turned them both down, saying you didn't like guys who are shorter than you. Your parents were killed in the Ishballan War by the military because they were helping Ishballans and military personnel alike. Roy Mustang was their executioner. When Ed and Al tried the human transmutation to bring their mother back, you were the one who stayed up with them all night, trying to help them. You outfitted Ed with automail. When Ed and Al burned their house down you cried, because you knew they wouldn't. The reason you always hit Ed with a wrench when he came back with his automail destroyed was because you were worried about him. You always got angry when he would come back with his automail destroyed and not tell you anything. Ed hates milk, but loves stew. Al loves any furry, little animal, especially kittens. Ed joined the military when he was twelve and just after he was admitted, he saved you from a serial killer named Barry the Chopper. Ed and Al told me all about their lives, Winry. And whereas they didn't have the brains to know why you cried around them, or threw wrenches at Ed, I could figure it out easily enough."

Winry felt tears fall down her face. She was trying to keep her skeptic attitude but it was difficult. How could this woman have known so much about their lives and _not _know Ed and Al? With some difficulty, Winry managed to speak in a semi-normal voice.

"If Ed and Al are back why aren't they calling me themselves?" Winry asked.

"Like I said, Edward's being a stubborn ass. He refuses to call you because..." Lily trailed off.

"Because why? Is it... he doesn't want me there, does he?" Winry asked, her voice betraying her. It cracked and showed the signs of her tears.

"No, Winry. He wants you here. He wants you here more than anything else in the world. It's just... None of us are in great shape right now. We've been through a lot in the past year. He says he doesn't want to you to see him the way he is now. He's hurt Winry. We all are. Al and I know, or well, we can guess, the real reason he's not calling you himself. He's scared."

"Scared of what?" Winry whispered.

There was a slight pause. "He's scared of losing you, Winry. He's scared you... He's scared that you stopped waiting for him and have moved on. He's scared... he's scared that you won't feel the same way about him as he does for you. He... he loves you Winry. He never says it aloud but..." Lily sighed. "A few years after I met Ed and Al... after Al and I had started dating, they told me about their life. When Edward started talking about you Winry... he talked for the longest time, just about you. He loves you, but he's scared of getting hurt. He needs you, Winry. We're going through... We're all going through some pretty heavy emotional trauma. Ed's taking it the worst though because he won't let us help him. Al and I have each other, but right now... Ed's alone. He needs you here, Winry. Can you come? I know that this is hard to believe, but..." Lily trailed off.

The strange part about this conversation was that Winry found herself believing this woman. Despite the fact that she didn't want to get her hopes up, she believed her. But she didn't let her hopes get too high, just in case.

"If you're lying to me-" Winry started to say but was cut off by Lily.

"You can wrench the living daylights out of me. Will you come?"

Winry felt herself trembling. "I-I'll take the first train out of Resembool tomorrow." Winry said quietly.

"I'll meet you at the station then. Goodbye, Winry." Lily said before hanging up.

Winry put the phone back in its cradle and felt herself sink to the floor. She felt tears slide down her face. She pulled her knees to her chest, and cried harder than she had in years.

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Lily woke early. She wanted to leave the house to pick up Winry before Edward or Alphonse woke up. She knew that Winry's train wouldn't arrive until later that morning, but she didn't want her husband or his brother asking where she was going. Lily disentangled herself from Alphonse's embrace and got a clean pair of clothes before she made her way to the bathroom to shower. Even after a month of being able to have a hot shower every day, it still felt like she took hour long showers every day because it felt so good.

Since not even Gracia was up yet, Lily wrote a note telling everyone that she had gone out to take care of some things and would be back around lunch. Unlike the Elric brothers, Lily could go outside since no one knew her. Except for her unnatural thinness, she blended in perfectly with the crowds.

Lily wandered aimlessly, going through the markets and stores until it was late in the morning. She had gone to Central Station first, to check when Winry's train would arrive. She had about an hour to kill. She walked around, gazing at the sights and thinking about how similar this city was to Munich. She could see many differences though. For one, it was _clean_. Another was that people weren't yelling at each other. Everyone was calm, and happy. They didn't have a war to worry about. There hadn't been a war in this country for many years. The last war that had raged in this country happened eight years ago, when the soldiers had come through the Gate and attacked.

Lily made it to the train station a little while later. She held her coat close around her, not because she was overwhelmingly cold; how could she be any colder than she had been in the winter at Auschwitz? Although, they had been lucky they were not one of those taken on the death marches. But no, she held her coat closed because she still felt nervous about being so thin. She knew she didn't have a reason to be self-conscious, but she knew that if people saw how thin she was they would get the wrong idea. She didn't want people thinking she was anorexic. She didn't want people getting the wrong idea of her. She wasn't usually one to care about what people thought, but she couldn't help but be nervous of her lack of body weight.

Fortunately, Lily only had to wait for about ten minutes before a train pulled into the station. She stood on the tips of her toes to see over the crowd. She hadn't expected the station to be crowded. She looked at the passengers disembarking from the train, relying on her memory of what Winnie looked like and trying to imagine what she would look like at twenty-six. Lily gasped. She saw Winry Rockbell getting off the train with a large suitcase hanging off her shoulder and a bag that looked like it carried clothes in the other. She could have been Winnie's twin. In a state of shock, she started to walk towards Winry, pushing her way through the crowd.

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Winry exited the train, not sure what she should be looking for. She had her toolbox in the large suitcase over her shoulder along with some parts for automail. Ed would need new limbs, no doubt. In her other bag she had clothes and other essential things. She searched the crowd, trying to figure out who Lily was. Winry sighed. She would never find Lily in this. She didn't even know what the woman looked like! She searched the crowd again, this time her eyes landing on a young woman struggling through the crowd. Her green eyes were fixed on Winry.

She wasn't very tall. Maybe a bit taller than Ed had been when he was sixteen. Her hair was dark brown and flowed down her shoulders before stopping at her mid-back. She had bright green eyes that held wisdom beyond her years. It reminded Winry of the look Ed had in his eyes after he had become a State Alchemist. Her skin was fair and her clothes hung off her body. The clothes didn't look exceptionally large, though, they were just too small for her thin frame. She was trying to hide her skinniness with a large coat that resembled the overcoat Winry remembered Ed wearing when he returned. Fortunately, it was chilly so she didn't look too out of place in such a long or heavy coat.

Winry pushed through the crowd before reaching her. "Lily?" she asked.

The woman nodded and smiled slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Winry."

"Nice to meet you too." Winry answered.

"Well, we should go. Can I help carry something for you?" Winry nodded slightly, handing her the bag. Her suitcase was heavy and hard to carry with only one free hand. As Lily started to walk away, Winry felt the overwhelming feeling of déjà vu once more. Why was this woman so familiar? Winry swallowed and followed the disturbingly familiar young woman as she walked through the streets of Central.

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**_A/N: Well, thanks for reading! I'd really love it if you guys reviewed!!!! You guys can say whatever you want, flame me, I really could care less. Flames are kinda pointless though... I mean, constructive critism is so much better! I really do love it... Anyway, tell me how you liked the revamped version if you've already read or just tell me how you liked it if you haven't read. Arigatou! You guys are great! Aishiteru!!!!!!!_**

**_xoxoxoxo Gerbil-san_**


	5. Fourth: Reunion

_REVAMPED!!!!!!_

_A/N: Okay guys, here is the last revamped section I have right now. I'm in the middle of Chapter 5 for revamping right now, so I should have it out by this evening once I factor in the fact that I have to keep minimizing it to hide it from prying eyes (cough cough... my family). I hate when people read over my shoulder... It's so annoying!!!!!_

_DISCLAIMER: All right, Gerbil-san is not a good artist and does not live in Japan, therefore she is not Arakawa-sensei and does not own _FullMetal Alchemist. _She does, however, own Lily Engel Elric, Emily Mustang, and Winnie Richter. Do not steal them. She will infer her wrath upon you._

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_Chapter Four: Reunion_

Lily Elric and Winry Rockbell stood in front of the entrance to Hughes' residence. Winry was pale and shaking slightly in her nervousness. Lily looked at her with concern.

"You ready?" Lily asked the blonde kindly. Winry said nothing for a minute or so, then nodded almost imperceptibly. Lily opened the door and entered, setting Winry's bag down. Winry followed, closing the door behind her. She moved with great hesitancy, setting her suitcase down and looking around before she gasped slightly when she heard a familiar voice.

"Lily? Is that you? Are you back?" Alphonse's voice called from the kitchen.

Lily turned to Winry before she answered Al. "Go wait in the living room. I'll get Ed and Al." she turned and walked away, leaving Winry alone in the hallway. With slightly shaky movements, she entered the living room. She sat down on the couch, and twisted her hands around nervously.

Meanwhile, Lily entered the kitchen. "Yep, it's me. I'm back." Lily told her husband. She moved over to him, where he was playing with Elysia's kitten on the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and kissed him on the cheek. Al straightened and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her softly on the lips.

When they pulled away, Lily was smiling as she asked, "Where's Ed? I have a surprise for you two."

"Really?" Al asked in surprise.

"Yeah, go get him and meet me in the living room." Lily told him sweetly.

"What are you planning?" Al asked suspiciously. His wife could be as mischievous as his older brother could be, sometimes.

Lily smirked at him and winked. "You'll see." Lily turned and left the kitchen, making her way to the living room. Winry was sitting on the couch, looking nervous and like she was about to be sick. "They're coming." Lily told her, sitting next to the nervous blonde.

After about five minutes, they heard footsteps. When the two women turned to look, Edward and Alphonse stood in the entranceway to the living room. Winry stood slowly, too shocked to say anything. Al stood with a shocked look on his face so that he resembled a goldfish out of water. Ed however, had not seeing Winry yet, due to the fact that he was yawning and stretching, apparently having just woken up. He was in a tank top and sweatpants with his long golden hair tangled and unbound.

Then his eyes met Winry's. His face went from tired to astonished. His gold eyes blinked rapidly in confusion and hope, trying to make sure it wasn't a dream. Al came to his senses first. He rushed to his childhood friend and hugged her tightly. Winry felt the shock wear off as she felt Al hugging her. She smiled to herself and hugged him back. When Al pulled away, Ed and Winry's eyes met like magnets, both growing teary eyed. Winry slowly walked towards him as Edward did the same. When they met, Winry reached up and tentatively touched his cheek, as if she was trying to figure out if he was real or not. A tear broke through her feeble defense and traveled down her cheek as she ran her fingers over Ed's face. Ed reached up his left hand and wiped it away. As if in a dream, he moved forward slowly and quickly at the same time, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close to his body. Winry wrapped her arms around his neck, vaguely aware that he was now taller than her. Well, it looks like Ed finally got his growth spurt.

"Winry..." Ed whispered in a broken voice. He buried his face in her hair, feeling tears sliding down his face, unexpectedly. Winry buried her own face into the crook of Ed's neck, feeling tears pour down her face. Ed tightened his hold on her as her shoulders started to shake with sobs.

While Ed and Winry held each other, Alphonse and Lily stood to the side with smiles on their faces. When Lily glanced up at her husband, she saw that he was also teary-eyed at seeing his childhood friend again and finally seeing his brother completely happy for the first time in a long time. Lily slid her hand into Alphonse's and squeezed it gently. He looked down at his wife and saw that she was smiling up at him. He finally realized what Lily had done. She had called and convinced Winry to come to Central for himself and his older brother. He smiled down at her before they left the room quietly, leaving Edward and Winry alone.

After an undeterminable time of the two holding each other, Winry managed to choke out a few words. "What took you so long?" she whispered.

Ed chuckled slightly and Winry could feel him laugh. "Sorry, Win." he whispered. Winry pulled away slightly, and was surprised to see that he was also crying. She couldn't even remember the last time that she had seen him cry.

"You... you're crying." she whispered, reaching up and brushing them away with her thumb. He touched his face, a look of slight perplexity before he chuckled again.

"Yeah, I guess I am." After a moment, he pulled the blonde mechanic close to him again. "I'm so sorry, Winry." he whispered, his voice sounding broken and heart-wrenchingly sad. "I'm sorry. All I seem able to do is make you wait. I'm sorry, Win. I'm sorry."

Winry felt a bit shocked, but she tightened her hold on him, feeling tears well up in her eyes again. "You're back. You're back." she whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah... I'm back." Ed whispered. "Sorry it took so long."

The two held each other comfortably for a few more minutes before Winry felt her questions well up inside her again. "How did you get back, Ed? Why... why did you have to leave in the first place?"

Ed pulled away slightly and sighed. He moved his hands from her waist to her shoulders. "Winry... I didn't want to leave. If there had been any other way... If I could have stayed... I'm sorry, Win. I just... I couldn't let anyone get through the Gate again. People on the other side... most of them are greedy and power-hungry. I couldn't let them get through again and risk... risk hurting _you_." Ed told her truthfully.

Winry felt tears fall down her face again. "That's probably one of the sweetest things someone's ever said to me, you know that?" she told him with a smile. Ed smiled back proudly, and brushed her tears away. "So... how did you get back anyway?" she asked him.

Ed sighed. "We don't know, Winry. We have no idea."

Winry's face morphed into confusion. Then she actually _looked_ at Edward. She gasped when she saw how thin she was. She saw the scars on his left arm that weren't there before and the nicks and scratches in his automail. "Ed... What happened to you?" she asked fearfully.

Ed closed his eyes and sighed once again. He led her to the couch, sitting down. Then he began the painful story of what he had been through for the past year.

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Alphonse and Lily sat at the kitchen table. Al had his arm wrapped around Lily and had a large smile on his face. Gracia entered with a confused look.

"Is that Edward and Winry in the living room?" she asked. Al and Lily nodded with large smiles on their faces. "How in the world did you manage that?"

"I was about to ask Lily the same thing." Al answered, kissing her chastely. "So how did you get Winry to come?

Lily smiled before she said simply, "I called her and told her who I was. It took a little while, but I managed to convince her to come."

Al looked at her in shock. "How did you do that? Winry isn't usually all that skeptical, but I'd doubt she'd just believe you out of the blue, telling her that Ed and I were back. How'd you get her to believe you?"

Lily only smiled and said, "I have my ways."

Alphonse smiled at his wife and kissed her again. "Thank you." He told her sweetly, a look of pure love in his eyes.

Lily looked at him confused. "For what?"

Al grinned slightly. "For calling Winry and stopping Nii-san from being so stupid."

Lily smiled at him. "My pleasure."

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Edward finished the account of the past year, looking at the floor with tears and pain in his golden eyes. Winry was looking around in shock, her eyes not able to focus on anything for more than a few seconds. She could hardly believe what Ed had just told her. It was a hard thing to believe, that people could condone the torturing and killing of other people just because of what their race or what they believed. That's when Winry realized it. It wasn't as hard to believe as she had originally thought. Wasn't that what had happened in Ishbal? The military may not have gone as far as these Nazis did, but they came close. Dangerously close. Winry looked at Ed, seeing the tears desperately needing to be released from his gold eyes. But she knew Ed wouldn't cry. He was too proud to let himself cry. He had been caught off guard before. Winry slipped her hand into Edward's flesh one.

"Ed..." she whispered, her voice full of caring and kindness. Ed gripped her hand as he clenched his eyes shut and bit his lip. "It's okay to cry, Ed. Nobody is going to think any less of you if you do."

Ed looked at Winry, his gold eyes pleading for help and understanding. He was hurting so badly. Winry had never seen him this bad before. Even after his mother's death, he hadn't been this bad. Winry silently removed her hand from Ed's and pulled him close to her. She wrapped her arms around him, stroking his gold hair slowly.

Ed stiffened for a moment. Then he relaxed slightly, letting himself melt into Winry's embrace. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Winry's waist once more before he buried his face in the crook of her neck, allowing her to brush her hands through his hair. He let himself cry, deciding to throw away his damnable pride. Winry was here. He didn't care about anything else in the world at the moment. He cried into her shoulder and let her comfort him. He cried until there were no tears left.

The sat that way for a long time; Winry holding Edward and stroking his hair comfortingly, whispering what she hoped to be words of comfort, even after Ed had stopped crying. Neither wanted to move from the embrace, though. Both knew that, simply, it felt... _right_. After a while, though, Ed pulled away from Winry just enough so that he could see her face. He knew that this was it. What he had been holding off, what he had been dreading, was now thrust upon him. It was all or nothing. Sink or swim. He needed to tell Winry how he felt, even if she didn't feel the same way. He couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. He had done nothing but think about her for the past eight years, and now he needed to tell her. He _had _to.

He swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking. "Winry... I-I have something... something I need to tell you." Ed said quietly. He felt disgust in himself. He was twenty-six years old, and now he was blushing and stuttering like a fifteen year old. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather himself together. Winry stayed quiet, knowing that whatever Ed wanted to tell her was important and could tell that it was hard for him to say, whatever it was. "I... I thought about you a lot when I was in Germany. Actually... I spent most of my time thinking about you. Especially... especially after Al and Lily got married. Winry... uh... I-I..." Ed broke off and swallowed the lump in his throat again. He managed to look Winry in the eye while he spoke the next few sentences, using every once of courage he had. "I love you, Win. I've loved you for a long time now." Ed looked at Winry's shocked face that had only the slightest hint of a smile. He may not know what Winry thought of him, but he had been able to say it. He told Winry how he felt. He had been able to overcome his fear and tell her what he had been feeling for years now. The slight smile faded quickly, however, when Winry remained silent. "W-W-Win?" he stuttered out. His soft, hurt voice seemed to break Winry out of her state of shock.

"Do... do you really mean that, Ed?" Winry squeaked out, her voice choked.

Ed looked at her seriously, a slight fear still etched into his face and nodded. "I do, Win. I love you."

Winry's face lit up in a dazzling smile. "I love you too, Ed." she whispered, her eyes growing watery. "I have loved you for as long as I can remember." Winry watched with amusement as Ed's face lit up, just like he had when they were small and had gotten a present on his birthday. His face bore that silly grin that always made Winry giggle. The two sat for a moment, still in each other's arms before, with some hesitancy, Ed leaned forward and captured Winry's lips with his own. Neither could, or would, say this was their first kiss. They had attempted to date others, tried to move on, but they couldn't. Although, even though they couldn't say it was their first kiss, both would admit to the fact that it was their first _meaningful_ kiss. The first kiss that really, truly, actually mattered.

The kiss deepened, and they somehow were able to show just how much they loved the other through it. The world around them melted away into nothingness. There were only the two of them. They had each other. They no longer had to be scared, or awkward. They knew that they loved each other and that was all that mattered. They had no reason to be nervous or embarrassed or shy anymore.

When they separated, for they did have to, they stayed in each other's embrace. The silence was not an awkward one, but a comfortable one. Neither needed to say a word. After a long time, Edward started to find the silence uncomfortable. For some odd reason, men thought that silence for extended periods of time was a bad thing. He felt he needed to say something, _anything_, but didn't know _what _he should say. Winry saved him though, feeling his uneasiness.

"So, how well have you taken care of your automail?" Winry asked him with a smile.

Ed looked at her with a slightly offended look. "Hey, I've taken good care of my automail!" he told her. "Once you put in the underlying factors, like the fact that I've had the same arm and leg for eight years and that the Nazis tried to take it apart, I think I've done pretty well."

Winry smiled at him. "I know. I can tell. You have taken good care of it." Winry reached down and pulled his arm out in front of him before she looked at it, then his leg. "Your arm and leg does look a bit short though. Finally grew, huh?"

Ed's face darkened. "Hey, I'm taller than you now! You can't call me short anymore!"

"Did I say that, Ed? No, I said you _used_ to be short. There's a difference." she giggled at his annoyed face. "Lucky for you I have all the supplies with me that I'll need to make you new ones. I figured if Lily was telling the truth and you were back, you'd need new limbs."

"Thanks, Winry." Ed told her sincerely.

"No problem, Ed." Winry told him. "Now come on, I want to see Al more and say hello to Gracia." Ed nodded and stood with Winry, walking with her, barely able to believe how lucky he was. Or how stupid he had been to prolong calling her. He was glad that Lily had been annoyed enough to call Winry. Otherwise, he'd still be miserable. Maybe the fact that Lily was so easily annoyed by stupidity was a good thing after all.

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**_A/N: Arigatou for reading!!!! The next revamped segment will be up by tonight, I promise! I'm making it my goal to try and get better with the whole updating thing... I really hate that I'm not a regular updater as much as you guys do... Probably because I'm such an avid reader of fanfics. Anyway, if you haven't already read it, go read Yellow Mask's _What Time Takes._ It's Ed/Win and Roy/Riza. Actually, go read all her fics. They are all amazing! Anyway, the standard 'please review yada yada constructive critism yada yada will update tonight yada yada.' You get the picture._**

**_xoxoxoxoxo Gerbil-san_**


	6. Fifth: Life and Times

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**_REVAMPED!!!!!!!!_**

**_A/N: Yay! I got a chapter out when I said I would! WOOT!_**

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**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own FMA or 'Our Farewell.' Go to YouTube and watch the video though!!!!!!!1_**

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**_Chapter Five: Life and Times_**

Lily sighed. Ever since she had called Winry and met her, it seemed as if the memories wouldn't stop. Lily didn't like remembering life before meeting Ed and Al. It hurt too much to remember. But every night since Winry arrived, Al would have to wake her from a nightmare. No one but Alphonse knew of her troubles and he pushed her, saying if she allowed herself to remember and feel, if only for once, it would help the pain and it would ease. And after a week of painful nightmares, she agreed. So she was sitting in the room Gracia gave to the young woman and her husband on the window seat. She took a deep breath and tried to dispel her fear of remembering everything again. With a small sigh to herself, she let the memories come back to her.

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Lily Chaya Engel was the youngest member in her family. She had one elder sister who was a year older than her and named Evelyn Nessa. Evelyn and Lily's parent's were Chaim and Adara Engel. The Engel's were not a rich family. They struggled to pay the rent every month for the two room apartment they lived in. Yet, even though they were far from rich, they were happy. They had each other. They were able to hold each other together.

When Evelyn was four and Lily three, the young girls became friends with Winnie Richter while playing at a park. The Richter family was not happy about the friendship, but they did nothing to prevent it. They were civil, in a cold kind of way, because of Winnie's love for the girls and their parents.

Evelyn and Lily were happy, regular children. They went to school, they played. The only thing that was slightly odd was that neither of the girls liked things that normal little girls did. They didn't like playing with dolls, they didn't mind dirt and filth, and they liked to play sports. This was probably why they got along with Winnie so well. Lily was not shy and loved to sing to anyone who would listen, Winnie loved to read books about how things worked at the age of five, and Evelyn was the most athletic kid in the school. They were happy children. Until Evelyn got sick, that is.

Chaim and Adara couldn't pay a doctor to treat her and no doctor would come and treat a Jewish child _pro bono_. Lily, who was six at the time, overheard her parents talking about how sick her sister was. The small girl grew terrified, not understanding what was wrong with her sister. All she knew was that her parents were scared. So, she ran to Winnie's house. She begged Tobias and Julia Richter to pay for a doctor, telling them that Evie was sick and her parents were crying. Both realized that without a doctor, the child would die. They were trapped, and they both knew it. If they refused, they would be responsible for the death of a seven year old girl, their daughter would hate them, and sooner or later it would get out and everyone would pity the poor Jewish family who couldn't afford a doctor to save their daughter. They called a doctor to treat the young girl.

It was all for naught, though. Evie had caught the consumption. Tuberculosis. The seven year old girl would die within a week of the doctor's arrival. Evelyn had been infected with the disease for most of her life without knowing it, the symptoms remaining invisible.

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Six year old Lily sat by her sister's bedside. The older girl's dark eyes were cloudy and unfocused, her curly dark hair unbound and tangled. Her usually tan skin was eerily pale. She coughed constantly, her mother holding handkerchiefs to her daughter's mouth, the white fabric staining crimson. Adara sat with her legs tucked under her, Evelyn's head in her lap while Chaim sat at the foot of his daughter's bed, stroking her leg gently. Lily sat in a chair beside her sister, holding her hand. The family sat like this for many hours, until the room grew silent; Evelyn's coughing ceasing and her heavy breathing evening out into nothing.

Immediately, Adara and Chaim began to cry, mourning the loss of their little girl, wondering why their child had been taken from them. Lily, however, was confused. Why were her parents so sad? Why were they crying? Why did Evie stop coughing? Was that bad? She thought Evie not coughing a good thing?

"Mama... what's wrong? Why are you crying? Is Evie okay?" Lily's questions caused Adara to cry even more, as she stroked her eldest daughter's curly hair. Chaim reached forward, bringing Lily into his arms as tears poured down his face.

"Evie... Evie's gone, Lily. She's dead." he told her through his tears. "She's... She's not going to wake up, sweetie." He told her, his voice choked with tears.

"But... but where is she going?" Lily asked, confused.

"She's in heaven now, sweetheart." Chaim choked out.

Then Lily understood. The doctor couldn't help Evie. She didn't have a big sister anymore. And with that, the family all cried for the loss of Evelyn Nessa Engel.

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The family wasn't the same after Evelyn's death. The home had a somber air. Chaim didn't speak much anymore, Adara always seemed to be crying, and Lily didn't ask as many questions anymore. She had always asked questions about everything before. The small girl also hadn't sung for nearly a month after her sister died.

Things only got worse from there. A year after Evelyn died, Chaim also passed away. He caught a virus that didn't leave him until death. Adara and Lily struggled through life after he died. Lily had to stop going to school and help her mother earn money. Soon, they had to move out of the small apartment because they couldn't pay the rent. After, the mother and daughter had to live on the streets. They often found themselves living outside the city in the Roma's camps. The Roma would welcome all. One day, however, when Lily was ten, they were attacked. Some drunken man tried to drag Lily away and Adara stopped him. She managed to get him to leave, but it cost her. Adara had suffered a knife wound in the stomach during the skirmish. A bad one. She died three hours later, her head in her daughter's lap and apologizing that she was leaving her baby all alone. Lily stayed on the streets for about a week after her mother died. She would wander and roam like a lost soul. That's how Winnie found her. Winnie and Lily didn't see much of each other after Chaim died. Adara and Lily would always be roaming around, trying to raise enough money to survive. When you're living on the streets trying to keep alive, you don't have much time to play with friends.

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Lily was sitting on a swing in the playground, her eyes staring blankly into space. The girl was trapped in her thoughts. She was thinking about how and why her life was filled with so much pain. Why did she have to suffer so much? Why did every person she loves have to die? Why should she have to go through so much pain? Why did she have to be alone in the world? Then a familiar voice broke her thoughts.

"Lily? Is that you?" Lily glanced up, seeing her best friend standing in front of her. Winnie was taller than Lily with bright blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair.

"Hi, Winnie." Lily's voice was sad and quiet. Winnie's face grew concerned. She had never heard her friend sound this depressed, not even after Evie and Chaim had died. She sat down on the swing next to Lily.

"Where have you been, Lily? I haven't seen you for weeks. Are you okay?" Winnie watched as her friend grew teary-eyed and bowed her head, letting her long, dark hair fall in front of her face. "Lily?"

"Mom died, Winnie." she told her friend in a whisper. After a moment, the young girl continued. "I must be cursed. Evie... Dad... now Mom... Why am I being punished like this? What did I do wrong? Why did they have to die?" Lily cried quietly. Winnie reached over and slipped her hand into Lily's.

"Where have you been staying, Lils?" she asked, using her pet name for the girl. Lily stayed silent. Winnie stood, pulling Lily up with her. "Come on."

"What?" Lily questioned confused.

"I'm taking you home." Winnie told her, ignoring Lily's protests and picking up the light bag that held her friends belongings.

"Win... your parents _hate_ me! They'll never let me stay!" Lily exclaimed as she brushed away her tears.

"Yes, they will." Winnie said firmly. "I'll make sure they let you stay." The dark haired girl sighed in defeat. There was no point in arguing anymore. Once Winnie had made up her mind, there was no changing it. Nothing would make Winnie budge now.

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After that, Winnie told her parents that they were going to let Winnie stay or she herself would leave. Any parent would be worried about their ten year old daughter threatening to live on the streets. And her parents knew that their daughter would never speak to them again if they didn't take in the girl. So, grudgingly, the Richter's let Lily stay.

Gradually, Lily began to lose faith in Judaism. She still believed in God, in a higher power, but she decided that she could not practice the Jewish faith anymore. Not when her family had been taken away from her. All that her mother and father and sister had ever been was faithful. Why would they be taken away if their faith was truth?

Even so, Lily and Winnie were happy. Except for the coldness from Tobias and Julia Richter, they were the happiest they had been in a long time. They did everything together. Lily had felt alone for so long. She lost Evelyn, her_ sister_, and that space that Evie filled had been empty for years. Now though, that space was starting to fill. Lily wasn't replacing her sister, but it was nice to have someone that knew her just as well as her sister did. Because of this, Lily was happy. Winnie on the other hand, was happy to have someone other than her materialistic parents in her home.

Lily and Winnie did everything together. Granted, they were different on some aspects. Lily was still considered a Jew even if she didn't believe in the faith anymore and Winnie was a pure-blood German. The Richter's were forced to pay for Lily's education also, so Lily and Winnie went to school together. Now, both girls were more than averagely intelligent. Winnie read books on advanced science for fun. She loved figuring out how things worked. This made Winnie the best in math and science academics. Lily on the other hand, was not only a magnificent singer, but loved to read. Books with plots, that is. She always wondered how Winnie could find a textbook so interesting. She read books that were much too advanced for a ten year old girl. This made Lily the best in her language arts classes, and she was good at remembering facts about history too. She was also skilled in being able to learn other languages. Everyone learned both English and German and at ten years old she was fluent in both. So both girls were in the head of academic standings in different categories.

When they weren't in school, Lily and Winnie would spend all their time together. They would mostly roam the city of Munich together because they didn't like staying around Winnie's parents. They were truly, genuinely happy for four years. Then Winnie got sick. Very sick. She caught pneumonia.

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Lily was in the room she and Winnie had shared for four years. Winnie was lying on her bed and Lily sat next to her. Lily was reminded of when her family all sat around Evelyn's bed as she died. Now she was here again. The Richter's were downstairs speaking to Winnie's doctor. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Winnie spoke.

"Lils?" her voice was a pained whisper, full of guilt. "I'm sorry."

Lily blinked back tears. Here she was, her best friend dying, and Winnie was worried about her? "It's okay. I'll be fine." Lily sighed to herself. Why did every person she love have to die? Why was she always put through so much pain? What did she do to deserve this? Was she cursed? Did anyone she gets close to have to die?

"Lils... you can find a... find a way. Find someone... find someone to help... help you start a singing... career. If... if anyone can... can do it... it's you." Winnie whispered, her voice breaking a lot.

"Winnie..." Lily whispered.

"No, Lily. Listen to me. You... You have the most amazing... voice... in the... world... share it..." Winnie whispered even more softly. "I'm sorry..."

"Winnie, no..." But it was too late. Winnie was gone. For what seemed like forever, Lily held her friend's cold hand to her face and cried for the one person left in the world who truly understood her. She cried for the loss of a wonderful person and her best friend. A person who didn't care about what others thought even in a world where that was all that mattered. Winnie was a truly good person, and Lily knew that if anyone deserved an eternity in paradise, it was Winnie.

After a long time of mourning and crying, Lily knew she needed to tell the Richter's. Even though Julia and Tobias hated her, they loved their daughter. But Lily knew she would never see this room or Winnie ever again. Lily gathered some clothes and stuffed them into the same bag she had used when she lived on the streets with her mother. Looking around the room quickly, she also picked up the photo album Winnie had given her as a birthday present on her eleventh birthday. It had pictures of her family and Winnie and herself in it. The two had added more pictures to it as time went on. She put in her bag, her eyes swimming with tears. Lily also closed her hand around the locket that hung from her neck. It was a rather large locket; it wasn't one of those silly heart shaped ones that were too tiny to have a picture in it. It was an oval and had a lily and entwined with an in-bloom rose engraved on the front. It had two pictures in it. One of Lily and Winnie and Evie just after they first met, and another of a time the year before when they were at the park. Winnie had a matching one around her neck. With tears now falling down her face again, she walked over to Winnie's still form and placed a kiss on her friend's forehead before leaving.

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After Winnie died, the Richter's did cut ties from Lily, but not until after their daughter's funeral. Letting Lily come to Winnie's funeral was the single kindest thing they had ever done for the girl. They even let Lily sing a song in honor of Winnie's memory. They may not have liked the girl, but they knew that their daughter loved her and that she loved their daughter. A friendship like that could not be broken. Lily sang a beautiful song that she said was her mother's song.

After that, Lily tried to do as Winnie wanted and start a singing career, but no one would hire a fourteen year old Jew. Even if she didn't consider herself Jewish anymore. To earn money, she had to sing on the streets with an upturned hat. She also tried to get herself hired on different odd jobs, but they never lasted long. And it still wasn't enough for a regular income. She became hardened. She had to. She was no longer the little girl who would just wander the streets and look like a lost soul; she was an adult in the body of a fourteen year old. She was not a child anymore. She had matured past her childhood. She taught herself self-defense so she wouldn't be helpless against the countless thugs and drunks on the street. Those two years she spent on the street were the lowest points in her life thus far.

One day, Lily was singing with her hat upturned in front of her. She was singing a sad, yet strong ballad in German. She stopped soon after she had begun though. The streets were empty. She picked up the hat, putting the small amount of loose change into a small drawstring bag. She slid the small bag into her larger bag before slipping the hat onto her head. She slung her bag over her shoulder and started walking down the street, searching for a good place to sing. All the streets were empty, though. That was odd in itself, considering it was the middle of the afternoon. As she passed by an alleyway, she heard a strange noise. She looked down the dark alleyway, seeing nothing, but heard the noise again. She went to investigate. That was how she was attacked.

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They caught her off guard. They grabbed her and shoved her against a wall, her face scraping against the harsh brick. Lily felt herself grow angry. She did not feel like dealing with this today. Why did people always try and attack her when she was in a bad mood? She kicked her leg out, her leg finding contact in one of the men's kneecap. She grabbed the wrist of the man who was pushing her shoulder into the wall and twisted it behind him swiftly, effectively breaking his wrist. The other man stepped forward and Lily pushed her hand forward, thrusting the heel of her palm into his nose, forcing it to break and bleed.

Then she felt herself shoved into the wall again. One of the men hit her, splitting her lip as another ripped her jacket off her body, tearing the fabric and exposing her arms to the cool air. That's when Lily realized they weren't trying to mug her. They were after _her._ She thrashed around wildly and desperately, panic taking over. She would not let this happen. They were not going to do this to her. They couldn't. Just as one of the men was starting to shove their hands up her shirt, the pressure disappeared. Tears slid down her face as she sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs. She shut her eyes, blocking out the image of two people fighting off the three men quite easily. When she heard footsteps coming closer to her, she opened her eyes. The boy who looked to be about her age walked over. He had short, light brown hair and eyes that were gray, tinted slightly with a brown hue. He kneeled down next to her, concern etched into his features.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" worry was evident in his voice. Lily looked up at him and nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. A strand of hair fell into her eyes and blood from the wound on her forehead trickling down the side of her face. She was slightly shocked when the boy removed his large overcoat and laid it on her shoulders. She moved one hand up and held the coat closed at the neck. The boy sighed almost imperceptibly, as if he were angry at something. "Do you have a place to stay?" Lily looked down and felt slightly ashamed as she shook her head. The boy sighed again, and Lily wondered vaguely what was frustrating him. Plenty of people lived on the streets. Granted, not many of them were sixteen, but it wasn't unheard of. Why would he be angry she had no place to stay? "You can stay with Nii-san and I. We have room for another. Is that all right with you?" Lily contemplated his offer, wondering if she would trust the two. It completely went against her common sense to trust two people she didn't know. Then again, they did save her. Deciding that it was much better than being cold and hungry, she nodded. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked kindly, his voice gentle. Something about this boy just made Lily want to trust him. Something about him made you trust him without even knowing him.

"Lily. Lily Engel." she told him, her voice much stronger than she felt.

"I'm Alphonse." Alphonse looked over his shoulder and pointed to the man with golden eyes and matching hair tied back into a ponytail. "That's my older brother, Edward." Lily nodded. "Can you stand?" Lily nodded again and pushed herself up with some difficulty while holding Alphonse's coat around her shoulders. For a little while, they walked silently, Lily between the two brothers, her walk slightly shaky, before speaking.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me, Alphonse, Edward."

Alphonse answered with a small smile on his face. "No problem." Lily smiled back before looking down. For some odd, unexplainable reason, she found herself trusting these two. She had virtually no reason to, but she did.

The two brothers led her to an apartment building that was a flower shop on the ground floor. Edward entered first and Alphonse and Lily followed. Then she realized something. Her bag was still in the alleyway. She started to panic and Alphonse saw her distress.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"My-my bag. It's still in the alley. I-I need it...it had everything-" Alphonse put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I'll go get it for you." he told her.

Lily looked at him, slightly awed at this boy's unquestionable kindness. How could one person be so kind to a person they don't know? "Thank you, Alphonse."

Alphonse smiled and blushed slightly. "You can call me Al, Lily."

Lily smiled and her cheeks also tinted pink. "Well, thank you then, Al."

"You can go with Ed. He'll introduce you to Gracia and Maes Hughes. I'll go get your bag."

"Thank you." she told him before he left to go back to the alleyway. Lily started in the direction that Edward had gone and saw the blond talking to a woman with light brown hair. Ed saw Lily enter the room and turned to Gracia.

"Gracia, this is Lily. Lily, this is Gracia Hughes." Ed introduced. Then he noticed that Al was not with her. "Where did Al go?" he asked.

"He-uh... He went to get my bag. I left it in the alley." Lily said quietly.

Gracia spoke after seeing the shape Lily's face was in. "Oh, Lily. We should get you cleaned up." Gracia said kindly. "I'll go get the first aid kit."

Lily nodded and sat on the couch, Alphonse's coat still around her shoulders. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She thought about what she was going to do next. She couldn't stay with these people. She would be too much of a burden. But would these people who seemed so much kinder than everyone else in this world really turn her out on the streets or even _let_ her go back on the streets? These people were so kind, so unlike every other person on the street. Would they let a teenage girl go fend for herself? She didn't know. Sooner or later, she would find out, though.

"You okay?" Lily opened her eyes to see Edward sitting on the chair that sat opposite the couch. Lily nodded silently and waited for the inevitable question. In a few seconds, it came. "So, why were you living on the streets?"

Lily sighed. "I have nowhere else to go." she answered evasively.

Edward was about to respond when Al entered. He walked over to Lily and handed the bag to the girl. Her figure relaxed in relief. She opened it, digging through the bag relieved that the small amount of pocket change she earned was still there. She pulled out her photo album and nearly cried in relief. This was what she had been worried about most. She could get more money, she could deal with wearing the same clothes for a while, but she couldn't lose this photo album. It was the only thing she had left of Winnie and her family, other than the locket.

"What's that?" Alphonse asked curiously.

Lily looked down and shoved the thick book back into her bag. "Nothing. It's nothing." Lily said. Ed and Al looked like they were about to say something but Gracia returned with the first aid kit.

"All right, let's clean up these cuts." she said cheerfully. Gracia only got as far as opening the first aid kit. Then a small voice was heard calling from a room nearby.

"Mommy! Mama!" Gracia looked in the direction that the small voice came from then looked at Lily, as if asking her the silent question.

"Go ahead." Lily told her. Gracia nodded and handed the girl the first aid kit before going to attend to her son.

After she left, Lily opened the kit and attempted to clean her cut on her own. Of course, it was pretty difficult considering she couldn't see her own forehead. After a moment, Al came and sat next to her and took the bottle of peroxide from her. He poured some of the liquid on a cloth and gently dabbed at the cut on Lily's forehead. When she winced, he stopped.

"Sorry." He said, his voice filled with guilt at causing the girl pain.

"It's fine." Lily whispered, still marveling at the boy's kindness.

Ed grinned at his younger brother. Now he was absolutely positive that Alphonse liked Lily. He could see the nervousness and timidity in his brother's figure. The slight redness in his cheeks, the tiny tremor in his hands, the silence, the nervous look in his eye, biting his bottom lip ever so slightly; all of it happened when Alphonse got nervous. Yet, even though his little brother was nervous, Ed could still see the affection and genuine worry in his brother's kind eyes. He could tell that Alphonse really cared about this girl.

Ed then shifted his gaze to the dark-haired girl. Her green eyes focused on the floor as Alphonse dabbed the cloth at her cut. He also noticed that her hands were in her lap and that she was running the pad of her right thumb over the fingernails on the same hand. He also noted that her left foot balanced on her toes and twisted in a semi-circle almost unnoticeably. Her cheeks were also tinted with a pink hue. Lily was just as nervous as Al. Edward also noted that a small, nearly nonexistent smile graced her lips, as if she was enjoying Al's attention and fondness. Ed smiled to himself with this otherwise unknown information.

As Edward was observing the two, his younger brother was also thinking. He thought about Lily, and how he wanted to know more about her. She didn't seem like the other people of this world. She seemed different, somehow. She was kinder. Yes, there were people who were kind, but everyone seemed so much harsher in this world than in Amestris. Lily didn't seem this way, though. It didn't seem like she _had_ a mean side to her. He wanted to know more about her! So, with this conscious need gnawing at his mind, he asked her.

"Why are you living on the streets, Lily?" he asked her quietly.

"Like I told Edward, I have nowhere else to go." Lily answered just as evasively as before.

"Don't you have any family?" Alphonse asked surprised.

The girl's face grew a pained look as she shifted her gaze to her lap. After a moment, Lily whispered, "No, not anymore."

"What happened to them?" Ed asked, his voice in a normal tone, seeming loud compared to the hushed tones that Lily and Alphonse had been speaking in.

"Nii-san!" Al exclaimed, somewhat shocked that his brother was so block-headed as to ask such a personal and painful question.

"Its okay, Al." She shifted her eyes to Edward's direction but kept her eyes on his feet and trying not to move her head as Alphonse bandaged it with some gauze. "My older sister Evie died when I was six, she had tuberculosis, and Dad died not long after. Mom died when I was ten. She... she was stabbed."

Silence hung in the air, blanketing the three before Ed spoke quietly. "I...I'm sorry."

"Our... our parents died too." Al said somberly. Everything was silent, until Alphonse spoke again. "Have you been on the streets since your mother died?"

"No, no... I-I was staying with a friend. She... She died two years ago. I've been living on the streets since then. Her parents kicked me out." Lily spoke in a casual tone that sounded slightly detached.

"What?!" the Elric brothers exclaimed.

Lily shrugged, unaffected at this point at the coldness of people. "My family was poor and Jewish. Not a good combination to begin with. They didn't like that at all. The only reason they let me stay as long as they did was because..." Lily broke off, not finishing the sentence. It was too painful to think about Winnie. Losing her family had been a hard blow, but losing Winnie... that was unbearable. She didn't like talking about it. She didn't even like _thinking _about it. It hurt too much.

"That's still no excuse!" Alphonse exclaimed and Lily was again surprised at this boy. Why was he so angry? Prejudice against people who were Jewish was a common thing in this day and age. He and his brother looked like pure-bred Germans so why weren't they acting like it? Why were they so angry at an injustice she received when they barely knew her? Before she could say anything however, Alphonse stood and turned to look at his brother. "Nii-san, can I talk to you?" Ed nodded and stood, but Lily stopped them for a moment before they left.

"What does 'nii-san' mean?" she asked curiously. The way that Alphonse said it made it sound so... personal, so... _caring_. It made Lily want to know what it meant.

Al looked slightly shocked at her abrupt question. "It-it means older brother in our native language." This confused Lily even more. So, they weren't pure-bred Germans? Then what were they doing here? Not many people wanted to visit Germany right now. It wasn't exactly a great place to be in at the moment. How long had they been living here? If they had an apartment it must have been a while. And then again, they did speak perfect German. So they lived in Germany but grew up somewhere else. Lily, for some unknown reason, was intrigued and drawn to the Elric brothers. There was something about them that was different from the other people she had met. They were, to put it simply, fascinating.

When Ed and Al were in the hall, Al said, "Ed, we have to let her stay with us."

Ed sighed, knowing this was what his brother was going to say. "You do realize that we'll be leaving again soon, right Al?" he asked.

Al nodded. "I know, Nii-san, I know. But we can't let her go back out on the streets. It's suicide! She can't survive out there on her own for the rest of her life!"

"She's survived for two years, Al. That's saying something. She's stronger than most. That much is obvious. But-" he said before Al could say anything. Ed told him. His brother was looking at him with fiery determination. His hands were curled into fists at his side, his gray eyes burning with determination and defiance. Edward knew that Alphonse would let anything potentially dangerous happen to Lily as long as he had something to say about it. Ed sighed before finishing his sentence. "But, we can let her stay if she wants to. You need make it clear that we're not going to be here very often and that she's gonna be alone." Ed told him.

Alphonse's face lit up with a joyful smile. "Arigatou, Nii-san!" he exclaimed, reverting back to their native tongue while attacking his older brother in a huge hug. He then rushed back into the room where Lily was. Al stopped in his tracks however. Lily was asleep. She was lying on the couch on her side, his coat on top of her like a blanket, half on top of her and half on falling off. Alphonse couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked. She looked like an angel. A sleeping angel. He walked over silently and pulled his coat up so it covered her more. She sighed and stirred slightly, but did not wake.

Al shifted his gaze to the floor where the thick photo album laid. It was open to a page and Alphonse curiously kneeled down and picked up the large volume, looking at the picture. He gasped in shock and dropped it promptly. In the first picture on the left page, was a group picture.

Ed entered the room and walked over to his younger brother. "What's wrong, Al?" Ed asked, bending down to look at the album. He saw the picture Alphonse was looking at and choked. "_M-Mom?_" The woman in the picture... was identical to Trisha Elric.

The group picture had five people in it. Other than the Trisha look-a-like, there was a man with dark, curly hair and matching eyes, a little girl that looked just like the man, and a little girl who was obviously a younger Lily. Standing between the two girls, however, was another familiar face.

"_Winry?_" Ed asked no one in particular, paling at the sight. For the many years that Edward had been in Germany, he had dreaded the moment of seeing Winry Rockbell's alternate personality. It would be so hard to see someone who looked just like her.

"Ed..." Al whispered. "Mom and Winry... Lily _knew_ them!" Al whispered. The Elric brothers then read the eerily familiar handwriting underneath the photograph. It read, 'Chaim, Adara, Evelyn, Winnie, and Lily' in slightly loopy writing.

"Ed... she was Lily's _mother_! Adara... her name was Adara." Al exclaimed quietly.

"And... and Winnie must have been her friend that died last year." Ed whispered. Both brothers were silent, staring at the picture of the woman named Adara Engel, who was identical to their mother, and the picture of Winnie, who was identical to Winry. After a few moments, Alphonse shut the album and slid it into Lily's open bag.

"We should take her up to our apartment." Ed said. Al nodded and moved closer to the sleeping girl.

He touched Lily's shoulder gently before speaking. "Lily? Lily, wake up." Lily sighed quietly but only buried her head further into the couch cushion. They tried to wake her for a few minutes before abandoning the seemingly impossible task.

"We'll have to carry her up." Ed told his brother. Alphonse nodded and slid one arm under Lily's shoulders. He made sure that her head rested against his shoulder so it wouldn't fall behind her at an awkward angle. He could feel her warm breath on his neck as he slipped his other arm under her knees. Slowly, he lifted the girl into his arms and swayed slightly before becoming accustomed to the extra weight. Lily sighed happily and buried her face in Alphonse's neck, apparently very comfortable in her current position.

Ed watched as his brother held the girl in his arms, carrying her like a piece of glass. Alphonse blushed as Lily buried her face into his neck, but Ed could see the enjoyment at their closeness in his brother's eyes. Alphonse really did like Lily... _a lot_. More than he wanted to, probably, if Alphonse was anything like he was. Edward wouldn't admit it, but he felt the same way about Winry. He didn't _want_ to be head over heels in love with her, but he was. It seemed like Alphonse felt the same way about Lily, even though he had only known for maybe an hour. He hoped Lily would agree to stay, if only for his younger brother's happiness. Ed grabbed Lily's bag and followed Alphonse as he carried the sleeping girl.

Seeing their mother and Winry's alternate personalities had shocked Edward and Alphonse to the core. They had never _really _expected to see them. This world _was_ huge after all. They were both stunned at the fact that _their_ mother's alternate was _Lily's_ mother. And _their _childhood friend's alternate was _Lily's _childhood friend. It was a strange coincidence that the Elric brothers crossed paths with this girl. And even though the Elrics didn't exactly _believe_ in faith, they had to admit that this was as close as it got. After all, if destiny really did exist, there was definitely a very fine line between coincidence and fate.

When they made it upstairs, Alphonse laid Lily down on the bed that so long ago had been Noah's. Alphonse didn't know this, however, because he had never met Noah. Edward had been told by Gracia after they arrived in 1934 that she had died not long after he disappeared. She had been attacked by a group of crazed racists.

After Alphonse laid Lily down, he moved down to her feet and untied her boots before slipping them off. Unlike most women in this world, Lily was wearing pants and not a dress. Most women here wore dresses or skirts. It was relieving, in a way, to see Lily wearing something that reminded them of Amestris. After Al had taken her boots off, he covered her sleeping form with a blanket. Ed set Lily's bag on the floor next to the bed before starting to leave the room, turning to see his younger brother gazing down at the sleeping girl with a small, almost nonexistent smile on his face.

Alphonse didn't know why, but he felt connected to Lily. He felt _drawn_ to her. It was like some inexplicable force was pulling him closer to her, attaching part of his heart to her. He felt responsible for her welfare. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to know what her opinions were and see how she thought. He wanted to know what she did for fun. He wanted to know everything about her. Simply, he wanted to _know_ her. And he wanted to know her better than he knew any other person. Most of all, he didn't want her to be out on her own again. He didn't want to take the chance that he may never see her again. He wanted to be able to protect her. He wanted to stop her from getting hurt again, because it was obvious that she had been hurt a lot in her life. The strange thing was he didn't mind this responsibility. He _wanted_ this responsibility. He hoped though, that his brother was as thick-headed about other people's feelings as he seemed to be about his own.

Unfortunately for Alphonse, he wasn't. Not when it came to his little brother anyway. When Alphonse entered the main room of the apartment, Edward was sitting at the kitchen table with his feet up and a smirk on his face. The apartment was basically the same as it had been in 1923, but a piano now sat in the corner with a sheet over it. Neither of the Elrics played, but a previous tenant had and Gracia just hadn't bothered to get the instrument moved. It sat in the corner, alone and forgotten, not bothering anyone. Alphonse watched his older brother's face warily as he sat at the table. His brother was up to something, and he knew it. Ed had the mischievous glint in his eye that always signaled trouble.

"So..." Ed said, trailing off. "Looks like my baby brother has a crush." Ed said with a smile and a slightly teasing voice.

Al's face grew bright red. "Shut up, Ed."

This only made Ed's grin widen. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Al. You're allowed to like girls. You're allowed to date girls." he said with a smile.

Al glared at his brother and huffed, "Then maybe you should take your own advice. Everyone knew you liked Winry, even back then."

"What!" Ed exclaimed, his feet slipping from the table and causing his leaning chair to tip to the floor. Al laughed at his older brother who was lying on the floor with an extremely red face and a bump on his head. Ed grunted and righted his chair before sitting in it with his arms crossed over his chest. Ed was frustrated. He had been under the impression that he had hidden his feelings for Winry well. Obviously not. Suffice it to say, that was the last time he teased his little brother about Lily. For the time being, at least.

While Lily slept the day away, Alphonse and Edward looked through different books and papers, trying to find anything that hinted at Huskisson's bomb. They were pretty unsuccessful though. After all, they couldn't exactly ask anyone for help without being asked how they knew about a possibly classified item. It could get them arrested. They ended up chasing a lot of dead ends and having to deal with dead-end rumors and crazy people. All in all, it reminded them of their search for the Philosopher's Stone. The brothers didn't realize that they had been searching the numerous documents for several hours, but they were alerted to this when Gracia came up to invite them to dinner. Al told Ed to go down and that he would wake Lily. Edward smiled knowingly but said nothing.

Alphonse walked to the room where he had laid Lily down earlier. The girl was lying on her side, a few strands of her dark hair falling across her face. Al smiled ad brushed the hair behind her ear, once again thinking about how beautiful she was. He silently berated himself for thinking this. He shouldn't be thinking things like that! He rested a hand on her shoulder lightly as he spoke.

"Lily. Lily, wake up." he said softly. Lily stirred and opened her eyes blearily and looked around the room before resting her eyes on Alphonse. "Hi." Al said with a smile.

"Hi." Lily answered, her voice thick with sleep. She sat up, asking, "Did I fall asleep?"

Al grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you did. This is Nii-san and my apartment. You've been sleeping for hours. Gracia invited us down to dinner. Are you hungry?"

Lily nodded, then spoke. "I should change first, though."

"Okay, I'll wait for you outside." Al said and left the room. Lily opened her bag and pulled out one of the dresses she owned. She didn't usually wear them because they weren't conventional when living on the streets. After she changed, she brushed her tangled hair and looked at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was much paler than usual. Her lip was puffy and swollen and painful to the touch. She sighed. She definitely wasn't a pretty sight today. At least in her opinion. Lily sighed once more before exiting the room.

If Alphonse had heard Lily's thoughts about how she looked, he definitely would have disagreed. Yes, she was tired and her skin was pale and her lip was swollen, but she was still beautiful. She would look beautiful no matter what, because of her personality. He wished he would stop thinking these things! How could he feel so much emotion toward someone when he didn't even know her? He hadn't even known her for a day yet. He was thankful, however, that his thoughts never left his head. Without a word, Alphonse led Lily down to the Hughes' home.

The two teenagers entered the dining room and Lily was introduced to Maes, Alicia, and Marc Hughes. Alicia was ten and Marc was six. Marc had been sick today and had been the one to call Gracia away earlier.

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Not too long after that, Edward and Alphonse offered to let Lily stay with them. They told her that they traveled a lot, but she was welcome to make their apartment her home. Lily told them, after a bit of convincing, that she wouldn't be a burden and that she wanted to travel with them. They tried to talk her out of it, but they soon learned that she was just as stubborn as they could be. So she stayed with them. They told her they were searching for a bomb, but didn't tell her how they knew it existed. She never asked.

Lily found that she was, for the first time in a long time, somewhat _happy_. The Elric brothers understood her. They cared about her. She sometimes felt as if they were from another world or something, though. They had no prejudice at all. They hated the people that hated her for being Jewish. They almost got arrested once for attacking someone that was telling her she wasn't human because she was a Jew. Alphonse had fumed for days. Although, Lily found herself slightly scared at the semblance of happiness. When she was happy before, it would get taken away. She soon managed to quell her fear, telling herself that it was only paranoia.

They traveled in this way for a year. Then Edward and Alphonse discovered what had happened to the bomb. Supposedly, Huskisson's uranium bomb sparked curiosity amongst other countries. Nuclear warheads were being tested across the globe. Japan, the Soviet Union, the United States; the Elric brothers were too late to save this world. In defeat, they returned to Munich.

Being back in Munich brought back painful memories for Lily. It reminded her of her family and Winnie. She knew that she needed to get help desperately. She was quickly falling into depression and had no way to get her feelings out. It was all bottled up with nowhere to go. She didn't want to bother Ed and Al because they were brooding about being unable to stop people from creating weapons of mass destruction. And Lily had never liked going to other people with her problems. She'd rather work through everything on her own. Lily thought that she was hiding her borderline depression rather well. Yet, she still had no way to get her emotion out. She had no way to get rid of all of the painful emotions and phantoms of the past that were haunting her. That is, until she found out that a piano was hidden under a sheet in the corner.

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Lily was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea and staring into space. It was early, very early. The sun had only just risen a half hour ago. Edward and Alphonse were still sleeping. She had waked earlier that morning from a pretty bad nightmare. While she slept, the deaths of her family and best friend mixed and melded into a swirling whirlwind of despair and guilt.

She felt tears sting her eyes and brushed them away quickly. Something caught her eye, in the corner of the room as she did so, however. It was a piano. She was sure of it, even though it was covered by a sheet. How could she have not noticed it before? She had been here how long and not noticed a piano in the corner? Lily didn't realize she was that unobservant. Slowly, she put down her mug of tea and pulled the sheet from the _Klavier_.

It was dusty and old. Lily pressed a few keys, finding comfort in the familiar presence of the ivory block. It was slightly out of tune, but not enough to cause any trouble. Slowly, Lily pulled the bench out and sat, poising her delicately curved fingers over the keys.

For a moment, she thought. She hadn't played a piano in almost two years. Since she was with Winnie. Since Winnie's funeral. Then, her fingers started pressing downward on the ivory keys. The sound that was emitted from the instrument was a slow, somber balled. It was her mother's song. The song she had sung at Winnie's funeral. The song that seemed to embody every emotion she had after something bad happened, or when she was remembering her loved ones who had passed from this world.

Her fingers played out an interlude, already knowing the exact keys that they needed to press without even having to glance down at the piano. Tears already prickled her eyes. Then, she took a breath and began to sing in a soft, clear voice, unaware that the Elric brothers were now awake and listening to her impromptu recital.

_"In my hands, a legacy of memories,_

_I can hear you say my name._

_I can almost see your smile, _

_Feel the warmth of your embrace._

_But there is nothing but silence now,_

_Around the one I loved._

_Is this our farewell?"_

As Edward and Alphonse listened to the song, they thought of the people they loved and were now separated from. They thought of everyone they had met who had died. They thought of Winry and Granny and Brigadier General Maes Hughes and of Nina and especially, their mother. Lily thought of her mother and father and sister and best friend, wondering if she would ever see them again. The question that all three asked was embodied in the lyrics, _'Is this our farewell?'_

_"Sweet darling, you worry too much,_

_My child, see the sadness in your eyes._

_You are not alone in life,_

_Although you might think that you are."_

Lily could feel the tears streaking down her face as she let all her emotions of hopelessness and despair and nostalgia and fear come out in her mother's song. Unbeknownst to the singer, Edward and Alphonse stood behind her. Alphonse already had tears falling down his face while his older brother was trying to desperately stop them from falling. The song reminded them of their mother. Is this what Trisha Elric would be trying to say to them if they could hear her or if she could speak to them? Would she tell them that she could see how much pain they were feeling? Would she tell them that they weren't alone, despite everything?

_"Never thought this day would come so soon._

_We had no time to say goodbye._

_How can the world just carry on?_

_I feel so lost when you're not at my side._

_But there is nothing but silence now,_

_Around the one I loved._

_Is this our farewell?"_

All three occupants of the room were now crying past the point of no return. Memories of the past swirled through their consciousness and images of their friends and family smiling up at them made them cry all the more. How could a song be so well suited for all three so well? The song embodied the sorrow and despair that they had all felt after they lost someone they loved. Mother, father, sister, friend, colleague... it was the perfect song for a person that had lost someone they cared about. All three had wondered after they had lost someone how it was possible for the world to carry on. How could lives still go on when they felt so much pain?

_"Sweet darling, you worry too much,_

_My child, see the sadness in your eyes._

_You are not alone in life,_

_Although you might think that you are."_

Lily closed her eyes and let her hands play a strong, powerful interlude. It felt so _good_ to let out these emotions. It was the sweetest relief possible from the turmoil of despair and anguish she had been feeling these days. She felt as if her mother and Winnie were here, in the room with her, along with Evie and her father. She felt as if they were here, offering her consolation and solace and comfort. They were here with her, she realized then, that she didn't have to feel alone. She wasn't alone. She had them in her heart. She had them in her memories. And she had Alphonse and Edward now, too. She would be all right, now.

_"So sorry your world is tumbling down,_

_I'll watch you through these nights._

_Rest your head and go to sleep,_

_Because my child, this is not our farewell._

_This is not... our farewell."_

Lily held the last note for a moment before letting her voice fade out with the last chord from the piano. She removed her fingers from the piano and slowly wiped the tears from her face. She felt so much better it was slightly eerie. She nearly jumped out of her skin, however, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Alphonse had stepped forward into the room, whereas Edward had left the apartment entirely. Al laid a hand on Lily's shoulder, trying to offer some semblance of comfort. He knew that the song she had sung applied to her just as much as it applied to himself and his older brother.

Lily looked up at Alphonse, her emerald eyes still watery with tears. She could see the signs of tears on Alphonse's face also. She felt slightly guilty, that she had made Alphonse experience the feelings of despair that one felt after one you loved died. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone, especially him. He had helped her so much in the past year. She had told him about her family and he had comforted her. She never said a word about Winnie, however. She didn't know how to.

"Can I sit?" he asked her softly, his voice slightly choked with the tears he had shed just moments earlier.

Lily nodded and moved over, giving him room to sit on the piano bench. Alphonse sat and everything was silent, neither knowing what to say. The silence was not uncomfortable, however. It wasn't one of the awkward silences that people tend to experience. No, it was a content silence. After what felt like an eternity, Al spoke.

"It's a beautiful song." he whispered.

Lily's lips curved upward slightly, forming a small, sad smile. "It was my mother's song." she said quietly. "She sang it a lot... after Evie and Dad died. She would sing it to herself... when she thought I wasn't listening. Before we got kicked out of our apartment, I asked her to teach it to me. I learned to play the piano when I was really little." Lily spoke with half-hidden sadness and a longing for the past.

That's when Alphonse understood. Lily was hurting. She missed her family so much that she looked as if she were in physical pain. The reason she had been so quiet for the past few days was because she was unhappy. She was feeling the longing to have something familiar. The longing to be with the people she couldn't be with. And if anyone understood what she was feeling, it was Alphonse.

"I'm sorry, Lily." he whispered guiltily. "Nii-san and I were so bush sulking we didn't see how much you were hurting. I'm sorry that we were too thick-headed to see it. I'm sorry." Al told her while slipping his hand into hers in what he hoped to be a casual way.

Lily only smiled sadly at him. "It's all right, Alphonse."

"No, it's not." Alphonse told her. "Lily... you're not alone anymore. If there's something bothering you, I want to help you. Please, promise me that if you ever have a problem, or if you are feeling depressed again that you'll come to me so I can help you. Please. I don't want you to hurt, Lily." he pleaded with her.

Lily looked at him. "I can promise that I'll try. I'm not used to being able to get help with my problems. I'll try my best, though."

Al smiled. "That's fine." Alphonse grew nervous suddenly, thinking about what he wanted to say but not knowing how to say it exactly. "Uh... Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... I-I was... well... I was wondering... maybe sometime... uh..." Alphonse's face grew red as he was unable to string a coherent thought together into an understandable sentence. Somehow though, Lily understood what he was trying to ask her. For good measure, and maybe a little bit of torture, she asked him.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Alphonse?" Lily asked him with a small smile.

Alphonse's blush grew as he answered, "Uh... Y-yeah, I am."

Lily smiled even wider. "I'd love to go out with you."

Al smiled, looking like a little kid with candy. He nodded, obviously trying to hold back his enthusiasm. "Is tomorrow good? I'll... I'll take you out to dinner."

"Tomorrow it is." Lily told him with a grin.

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Looking back on their first date, Alphonse would call it a disaster. Lily, however, would call it enjoyably chaotic. Alphonse had never blushed more consecutively in one night. Anything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. First, the reservation for dinner somehow fell through so they had to wait an hour before being seated. Then the restaurant screwed up their food order. Alphonse was so nervous that he became clumsy in a deadly sort of way. He knocked over everything and tripped over his own two feet. At one point he almost broke his nose by almost falling onto a stone wall. All in all, Alphonse could safely say that he had never been more embarrassed in his entire life. Although, he would most likely admit years later that his embarrassment was well worth it.

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Alphonse and Lily were walking back to the apartment, both very quiet. Lily was wearing a green dress that stopped just above her knees. She also had a flower that Alphonse had given her in her hair. It was a white lily. Where Alphonse had gotten a white lily in the fall was beyond the girl. She just knew that it was possibly one of the sweetest things anyone had ever down for her. Not to mention that the lily in her hair matched the lily engraved onto her locket perfectly. Alphonse was wearing a nice button-down shirt, jacket and pants.

When they made it to the apartment, they stood in front of the door for a moment. Then Al spoke. "Uh, Lily, look. I'm really sorry about-" he was cut off, however, by Lily pressing her lips to his. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach his face, so she rested her hands on his chest for support. Lily was not tall at all, and Alphonse was not exactly short. After a moment, she pulled away with a smile but did not remove her hands nor step back.

She smiled sweetly up at him. "Don't be sorry. I had a great time."

Alphonse was shocked. He resembled a fish out of water. "B-but... it-it was a-a... _catastrophe_!"

Lily just smiled. "It was... pleasantly hectic." When Alphonse was about to say something, Lily cut him off. "I would rather have a real, catastrophic date than have a fake, perfect one. Yes, some things went wrong, but you were being yourself, Al. You weren't trying to act any differently or be someone you're not. You were yourself, and that made this night special. Thank you. That's the most fun I've had in ages.

Alphonse smiled with his cheeks tinted pink. "Well, you're welcome, I guess. I swear that I'm not as clumsy as I was tonight."

Lily smiled again and looked up at Alphonse. Al swallowed the lump in his throat, realizing how much he wanted to kiss her. After a moment, he leaned down towards her. He stopped, however, when his face was just a breath away from hers. He hesitated, and Lily gazed into his extremely close grayish-brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, her voice not loud enough to even be considered a whisper. Al said nothing; he just blushed and shook his head. "Alphonse, you're allowed to kiss me." Al smiled sheepishly and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. His second kiss. The first happening not even five minutes before.

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After that, Alphonse and Lily became inseparable. They were rarely apart from the other. Edward would constantly tease them about this fact and Alphonse would blush and get embarrassed, but Lily would only smile and laugh. Then she'd kiss Alphonse and Ed would just laugh and either walk away or change the subject. This happened a lot because Ed thought it was his job to tease Al about having a girlfriend as much as possible. On days when Alphonse was annoyed at the unending torment, he would counter by saying that at least he had asked out the girl he liked, which was more than Edward could say. Ed would then blush and huff about Al having no idea what he was talking about until he shut up when Al would remind him of Winry. This was done when Lily was not around, however, since she still had no idea that Edward and Alphonse came from another world.

After two months though, Alphonse started to drop 'subtle' hints to his older brother. Ed knew that his brother wanted to tell Lily about Amestris, but he was going to torture him and make him ask. Ed was surprised when Alphonse _did_ ask him outright after not too long.

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"Nii-san, I want to tell Lily the truth." Al said to his brother.

Ed feigned ignorance, flipping the page of the book he was reading before asking, "Truth about what?"

"About us." Al said, seriously. "I want to tell her about Amestris, Edward." Now Ed knew that his brother was as serious as possible about this. Alphonse had called him, 'Edward.' Not 'Nii-san,' not 'Ed,' but _'Edward'_. Ed closed his book and looked up at his brother from the chair he was sitting in. Alphonse's arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were full of determination. Ed realized that he was ready for a fight. Not a physical fight, but he could tell that his little brother thought he was going to have to debate with him about this. He would be surprised, however.

"Are you sure, Al?" he asked his younger brother seriously.

"Yes. I'm positive." Al nodded, his face set.

Ed nodded and opened his book again. "Okay."

Al was shocked. His arms fell to his sides and his eyes widened. "Okay?"

Ed nodded again. "Okay."

"A-All right." Al said, still shocked. He didn't expect Ed to agree so easily. Maybe his older brother was maturing after all. Edward and Alphonse decided that they would explain everything to Lily the next day. It would probably take all day to relate everything to her. And they were going to. They were going to tell her everything. The thought made Ed feel slightly guilty. He had never done that much for Winry, but he would shake himself and remind himself that he would tell her everything as soon as he saw her again. If he saw her again.

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"You're what?" Lily asked, her shock evident.

"We're from another world." Alphonse said calmly. The three were sitting at the kitchen table, Edward and Alphonse both sitting across from her. All three had mugs of hot tea or coffee in front of them. "We're from a world parallel to this one."

Lily was silent for a moment, taking in this information. She stared down at the steaming tea in her mug, contemplating the new information. After a few moments, her face acquired a small smile. "That actually makes sense, come to think of it."

"What?" Ed and Al asked in surprise. They hadn't expected her to believe them so quickly.

"Well, I've always thought that you two seemed like you were from another world or something. You aren't like anyone else I've ever met. You two don't prejudice anyone because of their sex or race. That's an almost nonexistent thing amongst seemingly pure-blood male germans." Lily explained. "So, if you two are from another world, how did you manage to get here?"

Ed and Al then told Lily everything. They started by explaining alchemy to her, which to their surprise, she seemed to understand. She seemed to actually understand the science of alchemy, and how it worked. If she had been born in Amestris, she probably would have been an alchemist. They told her about Trisha. They told her about Winry and Pinako and about Hohenheim. They told her about Nina and Maes Hughes and about their teacher, Izumi. They told her about Dante and the homunculi and about Scar. They told her their entire life, and she listened. She understood them. She understood why they chose to do the things they did and she didn't chastise them for their mistakes. And most of all, she _believed_ them.

When they finally finished their tale many hours later, all was silent. Edward and Alphonse were looking down at the table with identical looks of pain on their face and in their eyes. Lily looked back and forth between the brothers who sat opposite her. After a moment, she stood and walked to the opposite side of the table. She pulled out the chairs the two were sitting on and they stood. She looked at them for a moment before she stood on the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around their necks and pulled the two boys into a hug. Both were taller than her by a lot, Al taller than Ed by an inch or so.

Both boys were reminded of the time Izumi hugged them, after they had told her they performed a human transmutation on their mother. Alphonse put his arms around the girl and buried his face into her shoulder, letting tears slide down his face and allowing his shoulders to shake with silent sobs. Ed brought one hand up to rest on the girl's arm that was around his neck. His eyes were swimming with tears but he refused to let any fall.

After an undeterminable amount of time, Lily moved away from the two hurt boys and said, "Thank you." she spoke again and let her hands rest on their cheeks, the hand on Alphonse's face wiping away tears. "Thank you for trusting me and telling me about your life."

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After Edward and Alphonse told Lily their life, the three got even closer. Anyone who saw them would have thought that the three had known each other their entire lives. And that's what it felt like to the Elrics. Lily was reluctant to accept this feeling, however. She was afraid. She knew that she was happy; truly and undeniably happy, and she was sure that that happiness would once again be snatched away from her. Every time she was happy, that happiness would get taken away from her; usually in the form of the death of a person she loved. Lily didn't want Edward and Alphonse to get hurt. She loved the Elric brothers. She loved Edward like the brother she never had... and Al, well... she was in love with Alphonse Elric. She didn't want to admit that she loved Alphonse more than anyone or anything else in the world, because if he died, there would probable be nothing left of her. It would be the last straw. She wouldn't be able to pick up and move forward again. If she lost Alphonse, she would cease to exist. She would no longer be able to truly _live_, she would just be an empty shell. She wouldn't be able to move forward. She quelled her fears, as she often did, attributing the almost unbearably terrifying fear to paranoia. She tried to forget her fears and enjoy life. When she was almost nineteen, both she and Al were eighteen, her fear of losing the man she loved almost became a reality.

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Lily sighed and continued to stare out the window at the setting sun. She was alone in the apartment; she had been alone almost all day. Most of this time she amused herself by sitting at the piano and playing anything that came to her mind and reading a little bit. Edward had gone out to talk to some scientist about something she didn't understand and Alphonse... well, he hadn't said where he was going. He had been acting pretty suspicious lately, though. It was like he was always gazing off into space looking nervous. They had been gone for so long Lily was starting to wonder when they would get back. Suddenly, Lily was broken from her thoughts when the phone rang. Lily stood slowly, stretching her legs from their cramped position and picked up the telephone.

"Hello, Elric residence." Lily said, exhaustion clear in her voice. It was amazing how doing nothing all day could be so tiring.

"Yes, is..." the man speaking paused, as if he were reading a sheet of paper. "Is Edward Elric there?"

"No, he's not in at the moment. I can take a message, though." Lily told the man, leaning against the wall lazily.

"I need to speak to Mr. Elric as soon as possible. It is of the utmost importance." The man spoke seriously, and Lily knew something was wrong.

"Why? What's wrong?" she moved the phone away from her mouth as she yawned.

The man didn't speak at first. Then after a moment, his voice spoke in a strangely stiff voice. "His brother, I believe, is here in the hospital."

Lily almost fell from where she was leaning, but managed to gain her balance. She felt her stomach drop. "Alphonse? Is he okay? What happened?" Lily knew that she sounded utterly desperate but at the moment she could care less. She just needed to know if Alphonse was all right.

"Miss, I am not permitted to give out information regarding our patients to unrelated civilians." he told her, his voice stiff.

Lily could feel herself grow angry. This man would tell her what happened to Alphonse whether he was permitted to or not. She did not give a damn about rules or regulations. This was _Alphonse _they were talking about. And whether this man wanted to or not, he would tell her what happened to Al. "Sir, I'm the only family that the Elrics have. They're the only family _I_ have. I've lived with them for over three years. I think that I can be classified as a relation. Now, _what happened to Alphonse?_"

She could hear the man sigh on the other end of the phone. "He was in a car accident."

Lily felt her heart tighten. "He doesn't own a car." Lily said, her voice just as tight as her heart felt. It was true, however. Ed and Al had sold the car they had used for travel after returning to Munich for good. They said they could walk anywhere they needed to go or they just wouldn't go.

"Miss, he was _hit_ by a car." the man said, sympathy evident in his voice.

To Lily, it felt like her insides twisted and turned until they didn't exist anymore. She felt empty inside. This couldn't be happening. Not again. This couldn't be happening again. She couldn't lose Alphonse. Not after everything they had been through. She could feel the tears start to slide down her face. In a choked voice, she asked, "Is... is he all right?"

After a moment, the person she assumed to be a doctor spoke, "He's alive."

_"Is he all right?"_ Lily demanded in a broken voice, knowing that he was evading the question.

The man paused for what seemed like the millionth time. "He's in a coma, miss. He has a few broken bones also. At the moment we don't believe that he has internal bleeding, which is good news. If you could find Edward and get to _Harlachinger_ Hospital as soon as you can, it would be helpful."

"Y-yes, of course. But, um... sir... how... how did it happen?" Lily asked. She needed to know. She needed to know what happened to him, exactly.

"The preliminary information we received was that a car lost control and Alphonse pushed a child out of the way but didn't have time to move himself." Lily knew immediately this had to be true. It was exactly like something Alphonse would do.

"Okay." She said quietly. "We'll be there... as... as soon as I find Ed." Lily said into the telephone before putting the phone back into its cradle. She felt her knees shake just before her legs gave out. She fell to the floor unceremoniously, unable to hold back her sobs. Dread and terror were filling her entire being. Alphonse... She couldn't lose Alphonse. He had to be okay. He just had to be. She couldn't survive without him. She let her body shake with the tremors of her sobs for a few minutes. That's when she tried to compose herself. She needed to find Ed. She needed to get to Al. She stood and rushed downstairs to Gracia's. Maybe she would know exactly where Edward was.

When Lily made it to Gracia's apartment, she hurried into the kitchen, knowing that Gracia would be cooking dinner at this time. "Gracia!" Lily gasped, slightly out of breath. "Do you know where Ed is?"

Gracia looked at Lily in shock. The girl's normally bright green eyes were red and swollen and filled with despair. Her cheeks were tearstained. "No, I don't. I'm sorry. Lily, are you all right?"

Lily just shook her head and put her hands to her face. "I need to find Ed. I need to find him now." she whispered, her voice slightly muffled through her hands.

"Why do you need to find him so badly?" Gracia asked her kindly.

"Who's looking for me?" Lily and Gracia turned to see Edward standing in the doorway.

"Ed!" Lily exclaimed tearfully, collapsing against his chest, once again unable to hold back her tears and sobs. She closed her fists around the excess fabric of his shirt and let herself cry.

"Hey... hey, Lils... what's wrong?" Ed asked her, concerned at her behavior, while resting his hands on her heaving shoulders. After a year or so, Edward had unknowingly adopted her former nickname. The nickname Winnie had used for her. She could never find the willpower to tell him to stop.

"It... it's... Ed, it's Al..." she whispered.

Edward's face suddenly grew completely serious. Concern and worry was etched into every line of his face. "What happened to Al?" Lily couldn't say anything at first, so Ed spoke once more. "Lily, what happened to Alphonse?"

Lily looked up at the man she considered a brother. "He... he was hit by... by a car." she managed to choke out. "The... the doctor said... he said... Al... Al is in a coma." she cried, once again letting her face fall into Edward's chest.

Edward blinked and wrapped his arms around the distressed and sobbing girl. Al was in a coma? His brother... his baby brother... Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision. He needed to see him. He needed to see his brother. How could this have happened? After all the dangers, all the sacrifice, after finally finding some semblance of happiness, Al was hit by a car? Of all the things that could happen, he might lose his baby brother to some heap of junk? It was surreal. This couldn't be happening. Until Edward Elric saw his little brother, he refused to believe that he could lose his brother _now_, after everything they had been through. One thought ran through both Edward Elric and Lily Engel's minds: _How could this have happened?_

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He drifted through a sea of blackness. He had no idea what was happening. Where was he? _Who_ was he? What was going on? He knew that he was unconscious, but he could vaguely hear faint voices piercing through the darkness that threatened to choke him. He had no impression of time. It could be passing swiftly or it could be passing so slowly he didn't even notice. The darkness blanketed him, suffocating him. He needed to escape. He had to get out of this place, wherever it happened to be. At some point in time, however, a voice pierced through his mind so clearly it was if there were a bright flash of light going off in his mind.

The woman's quiet teary voice uttered only one word. This one word brought such a barrage of information to him, his mind hurt. She said one word. "Alphonse..." His name was Alphonse Elric. Images flashed through his mind, as if they were on fast forward. A woman with auburn hair pulled to the side. She was hanging laundry, then she was cooking, then she was lying on a bed, dying. A young boy with blond hair and bright gold eyes. In flashes, he could see the boy grow before him. He could see him smiling, crying, angry, embarrassed, and hurting. A young blonde woman with bright blue eyes. He also saw her grow from a young, petite girl to a strong-willed mechanic. He saw a young girl with long braids standing beside a bear-like dog. Then he saw a monster of a creature. A creature that invoked such a feeling of pity, Alphonse felt pain. Somehow, he knew its name; chimera. Then he saw a man with dark hair and glasses, a man with a scar on his face and tattoos embellishing his arm, a young woman with a baby, a woman with dark hair cut close to her face, a woman with dark hair that was in braids, a man with gold hair and glasses, a man with white gloves and dark hair, and finally, a girl, a woman, with long, dark brown hair and sparkling emerald eyes. In an instant, he remembered everything. His mother, Ed, Winry, Nina and Alexander, Mr. Hughes, Scar, Rose, Dante, his teacher, his father, the colonel... Lily. He remembered the car appearing out of nowhere and hearing a woman yell, "Nina!" and pushing a child out of the way. He must be in the hospital. For a moment, he wondered how it was even possible that he was alive. He was hit head-on by the car at an extremely high speed. Then he wondered if the little girl was all right. Then he wondered if it was possible that the girl might be Nina Tucker's alternate personality. That would be an odd twist of fate, if it were true.

Then Alphonse heard the woman's voice again. It was foggy, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Lily's voice. "Ed... what are we going to do?" Al's heart twanged with guilt. Lily was crying. He was making Lily cry. Now he knew why Edward always hated to see Winry cry so much. Sure, Al hadn't liked it, but Ed had _hated_ to see Winry cry. Now Alphonse understood why. Then Lily spoke again. "Alphonse... how do we know if he'll ever wake up?" This comment confused Alphonse. Why _wouldn't_ he wake up? He could hear them as clear as day. Yet... he couldn't move. He could barely feel anything. Maybe... maybe he was in a coma. It wasn't unheard of for coma patients to be aware of their surroundings. Most of them just didn't realize what was happening. None of them were alchemists, though. Alphonse understood exactly what was happening. He was hit by a car and must have hit his head. Now he was in a coma, currently being tortured by the fact that the woman he loved was a few feet from him and he could do nothing to comfort her. He could do absolutely nothing. More than anything in the world, he wished that he could reach out to Lily and comfort her, assure her that he would do everything in his power to wake up. He wished he could tell her that he wouldn't leave her alone. He knew that Lily's worst fear was to be left alone again. The two years she spent on the streets... they scarred her for life. She was terrified of being alone like that again, and devoid of the people she loved.

Then he heard his older brother's voice. "Al will be okay, Lily."

"How do you know?" Even through the fog that clouded his mind, Alphonse could hear her desperation and her tears.

"Because he loves you, Lils. He won't let himself stay like this. He's too stubborn." Alphonse found himself desperately wanting to be able to reach out to Lily again. He wanted to tell her that everything Edward said was the truth. He could hear a foggy sob come from Lily. For a long time, there was silence. Then Lily's clear, if not teary, voice penetrated his darkened mind once more.

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When Lily and Edward finally arrived at the hospital, night had fallen. Lily's face was still red and tearstained. Ed's face, however, was stoic and determined. They made their way through the sterile corridors until they reached the room they had been directed to by one of the nurses. An older man stood outside the door looking over a chart wearing the telltale white lab coat of a doctor. Lily pulled the long-sleeved button down shirt closer around her body. It was Alphonse's. She wore his shirts frequently when lounging around the apartment. She hadn't changed before rushing to the hospital. Now she felt slightly self-conscious about the spaghetti-strap undershirt, long-sleeved shirt that didn't belong to her, and loose-fitting black sweatpants.

"Is this Al's room?" Lily asked, her voice choked.

"Yes, I'm Doctor Marcus." He turned to Ed then spoke. "Are you Edward?"

Ed's face was shocked. His brother's doctor was identical to Tim Marcoh. Breaking out of his shock, Ed nodded his head. "Is Al okay?"

"As I told Miss..."

"Engel. Lily Engel." she whispered, supplying her name.

"As I told Miss Engel, your brother is in a coma. His left leg is broken and his left arm is fractured. Luckily, he didn't suffer from any internal bleeding. He's a little beat up, but all right otherwise. Other than being comatose."

When Lily spoke, it was in a small meek voice. "Do you know when he'll wake up?" Edward was shocked. He had never heard Lily speak in such a way. She had never seemed so broken and fragile. So vulnerable. She had often reminded him of Winry, in the way that she was always strong yet cried often. She wasn't herself, now. Then Ed realized it. _Alphonse _made her strong. He made it possible for her to go through the terrible things she had been through and get over awful times.

"No, we don't." Lily felt her stomach drop out once more. Her legs started to give out and she let herself collapse onto one of the chairs lining the wall. She couldn't believe it. Alphonse... she couldn't lose him. She just couldn't.

"Is there any way to tell _if _he'll wake up?" Ed asked, his voice choked and struggling to stay monotonous.

The doctor shook his head. "No. No, there isn't. I'm sorry. If you would like to go and see him, you may." Then Doctor Marcus turned and left.

Ed ran a hand through his hair and sat next to Lily, who had her head in her hands. For the longest time, the two just sat side by side, trying to process the information that Alphonse may never wake. Ed slowly put an arm around Lily, knowing that she needed comfort. Yes, Edward hated what was happening to his baby brother, but Lily probably felt like she was cursed. From what he gathered, one person after another had died in her life from various illnesses or other reasons. Most likely, she was blaming herself for Alphonse's condition. Also, Ed knew that if it was him sitting outside of a hospital room that had Winry in it... he didn't know he would be able to do anything. Lily leaned into her surrogate brother's embrace in a daze. Unbeknownst to Edward, he was completely correct as to what Lily was thinking. At the moment, she was cursing herself for her innate ability to ruin other people's lives. She didn't know how she did it, but somehow she would be around a person and something bad would happen to them.

Suddenly, Lily stood abruptly and walked to the door that would lead into Alphonse's room. Her hand hovered over the doorknob but did not move to touch it, her entire body trembling in fear and horrible anticipation. Ed slowly stood and let his flesh hand rest on her left shoulder, trying to comfort her in any way he could, while he closed his gloved automail hand over her fingers, turning the handle and opening the door.

"Come on." he whispered. The two entered the room and Lily emitted a slightly squeaky gasp, once again blinking back tears. Ed tightened his hand around her shoulder, feeling just as shocked. There, Alphonse lay on the hospital bed. His face was pale and there was a bandage wrapped around his head, a crimson stain on the white cloth on his right temple. His injured limbs were in casts, his leg being held aloft. On the parts of his body that were visible, especially his arms, there were dark bruises. Lily walked in a state of shock over to his side. She silently slipped her fingers into his, almost recoiling at the coldness of his fingers.

"Alphonse..." Lily said in a soft, teary voice. Tears slipped down Lily's face unchecked. Why did everyone she loved have to be hurt? First it was Evie. Then it was her father. Then her mother. Then Winnie. Now, Alphonse? She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't handle anyone else getting hurt. It was painful enough to lose her family and Winnie, but did Alphonse have to be taken away from her too? Hadn't she already suffered enough? Did the curse of death _have_ to follow her?

Before her thoughts could get any guiltier, Ed rested his left hand on her shoulder again, sitting in the chair next to her. In a choked, voice, she spoke to Ed, her watery emerald eyes never leaving the still form lying on the hospital bed. "Ed... what are we going to do?" Lily then realized how someone could visit a hospital every day of their life to visit someone who would probably never know they were there. She knew that she would come to this hospital every day until the day Alphonse woke up. Even if he never woke again and she had to come to the hospital until the day she died.

After a long silence, Ed spoke. "Al will be okay, Lily."

After another moment, Lily spoke, her voice filled with sheer desperation as tears flowed down her face. "How do you know?"

Ed smiled sadly. "Because he loves you, Lils. He won't let himself stay like this. He's too stubborn."

Lily tried, she really did, but she couldn't hold back the sob that broke free from her throat. She let herself just that one audible cry. She refused to let anyone hear her cry. She didn't mind people _seeing _her cry, but she would not let anyone hear her become a sobbing pathetic mess. She only let her shoulders shake and let the tears slide down her face. Ed squeezed her shoulder before slowly leaving the room to speak to Dr. Marcus once more.

After Edward left, Lily's crying was slowly calmed. She gazed down at Alphonse's face and gently lifted her free hand to caress his cheek. She pushed his bangs away from his face and leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on his injured temple.

"Al... I-I don't know if you can hear me or not. I hope that you can, but... well... you look... you look _dead_, Al. How could you possibly be able to hear me if you're so weak?" she paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "You have to wake up Al. I-I... I _need_ you. I can't... I can't do this alone. I can't go through _life_ without you. I don't want to be left alone again. I can't be alone again. It's too hard." Lily felt herself starting to cry again. She lifted Al's hand and held it against her cheek. "Alphonse... I love you. I-I can't... I can't lose you. Please don't leave me alone, Al. _Please._ I'll do anything, just... don't leave me." She whispered the last part before breaking off, her previous vow to not be audible in her despair forsaken without a second thought.

As Lily was crying and hurting, Alphonse's heart was breaking with the knowledge that Lily was in so much pain. She was hurting so badly and he could do nothing to help her. He couldn't even tell her that he loved her too. It was torture. There was nothing worse in any world than having to lie unconscious and know that the person you loved was hurting and not being able to help them. It was the worst form of torture that any higher being there was could dole out.

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For nearly three weeks, Alphonse's condition didn't change in the slightest. Everyday, Edward and Lily came and just sat by his bedside, usually talking of everything and nothing at all. At first it was hard for both of them to go in day after day and seeing no change in him at all, other than the cuts and bruises healing. Lily felt guilty when she discovered that she had become used to seeing him lying there, like he was dead. She had cried for a couple hours after making this discovery. Ed stayed by her and held her while she cried. The two found support in each other while Alphonse was lying comatose. Alphonse had been there source of strength and purpose. He had been the unchanging constant in their life. It had been a harsh blow when he was taken away and they found support in each other. Edward comforted Lily and Lily comforted Edward. Lily and Edward spoke to Alphonse as if he were awake. The only time that they spoke seriously was if they were with them alone. Only when there was only one of them and Alphonse in the room do did they allow the depth of their anguish and depression show.

After three weeks, however, Alphonse showed signs of inching towards consciousness. It had begun with something as simple as Lily holding his hand as she always did and being shocked and amazed when she discovered he was squeezing her hand back. A few days later, he started turning his head in the direction of shadows and noise, therefore 'knowing' where a person was. About two days after that, he started making incoherent sounds, as if attempting to speak. Lily would spend almost all her time at the hospital. She would come early in the morning, leaving only when Edward came to take her to get food and when he told her she needed to come home and sleep. One evening though, Lily returned to the hospital after going home, unable to sleep. This was a month to the day after Alphonse's accident.

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Lily sat by Alphonse's bed. It was late, but the nurses and doctors did not question her presence. Lil, and Edward had become such a regular appearance at the hospital they simply did not force upon them the same extent of rigidity of the rules. For some unknown reason, Lily found it impossible to sleep that night. Granted, she had not had a good's night sleep in a month because of various nightmares; she couldn't sleep at all tonight. She wasn't even tired. So, she left a note for Edward explaining where she was and slipped out to return to the hospital.

After Al had showed signs of waking, she had started to gain back hope again. But now the days passed and there were no longer any changes in his condition. He remained unconscious and Lily began to lose her hope once more.

She sighed, and started speaking to Alphonse in a hushed voice. "Hey, Al. It's me." Lily smiled softly when he gently squeezed her hand in his. She always held his hand when she visited. She figured that if he could hear her, it was a way that would make him feel like he was more connected to her; that she somehow knew, if he was indeed aware, he could feel her when she held his hand in hers. "I couldn't sleep, so I came here." Lily fell silent for many minutes before speaking again. "When are you going to wake up, Al? Isn't a month without you enough?" Lily's eyes widened, shocked that she had said that. That's not how she felt. She didn't blame Alphonse in the slightest. "I'm sorry. I-I know you can't help it. I don't blame you at all. It's just... I miss you _so much_, Al. Everyday without you kills me. I...I love you so much, and I don't even know if you feel the same way or not. Ed keeps telling me you do, but..." Lily trailed off before realizing something. "Wait... we never told you about Nina, did we? How could we forget to tell you? You saved the little girl, Alphonse. She's fine. She and her mother visited you after they found out who you were and what hospital you were in. They didn't say anything while they were in here; Nina just gave you some flowers and a 'get well' card. They spoke to Ed and me outside before they left. Ed... he told me the girl, Nina Kreider, is Nina _Tucker's_ alternate. She's adorable, Alphonse. You'll love her. You saved her, Al..." Lily trailed off again before speaking again. "If you can, please wake up soon. I can't do this much longer. It's ripping me apart. I just... I can't..." Lily broke off, letting her head fall onto the hospital bed and letting herself cry harder than she had in nearly a month. She released Al's hand, entangling her fingers together at the base of her neck, feeling somewhat comforted by the feeling of her hands there.

Vaguely, she realized that someone was stroking her hair, trying to comfort her. For a moment, she didn't fully register this in her mind. When it did, however, she sat up into a sitting position, her emerald eyes meeting Alphonse's kind brown eyes that she had not seen in thirty days. She looked at him in shock, blinking to try and make sure that she was not dreaming or hallucinating.

"Alphonse?" she whispered. Al reached up his hand and ran it through Lily's dark hair, letting his fingers brush against her neck.

"Hi, Lily." he said quietly, a small smile on his face and his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Alphonse!" Lily exclaimed, launching herself forward and wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her teary face into his neck. Alphonse wrapped his arms around Lily's back, holding her close. He had healed amazingly fast. The doctors had marveled at his healing rate. He was healed of a fractured arm and broken leg after only a month. Ed had only shrugged, telling them that Elrics were fast healers. Back in the present, Lily tightened her arms around him as she spoke. "You're awake. You're finally awake."

"Yeah... I am." Al whispered, holding her closer. After a long moment, he said, "I'm sorry, Lily. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry that I made you cry so much." Lily pulled away slightly and sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

She gazed down at Alphonse, her eyes still teary. "You could hear me? The whole time?" she asked him, hope in her voice.

Al nodded. "I could hear you, Lily." Both were silent, just content to be in each other's arms after such a long time. "Lily... I _do_ love you. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you earlier."

Lily only shook her head swiftly. "It's okay. You're awake now." Lily smiled and bent her head, placing a sweet, deep kiss on Al's lips.

When they separated, Al sighed contently. This was what he had been dreaming of, hoping for, for such a long time. Then he asked Lily, "Is my stuff here? Did they take it?"

"They gave it to Ed. It's all in the drawer over there." Lily told him. She was confused, because Alphonse looked worried. "Is everything all right? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Al said smiling. "Can you bring it over here? My stuff? Can you bring everything over here?" Al asked.

Lily looked at him strangely but followed his request. She stood and retrieved his belongings, which were all still in a large plastic bag. She handed the bag to Al as she returned to her seat on the edge of his bed. Slowly, he opened it. For a few moments, he dug around the bottom of the bag and in the pant's pockets before closing his hand around something.

"Uh... Lily? I-I have something I wanted to ask you. Well..." Al paused, taking a deep breath. "I know this is kind of sudden and we're both still pretty young, but we've been together for almost three years now. I love you, Lily. More than anything in this world or any other, and I know that will never change. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He opened the small, velvet box he had been concealing in his hand, revealing a beautiful engagement ring with a single diamond in the center of the gold band and two pairs of emeralds on both sides. "Lily, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

Lily gasped and knew that her eyes were filling with tears. For a moment, Lily was too shocked to say anything. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes." she said, her voice choked with tears. "Of course I'll marry you." Al's face broke into the happiest smile Lily had ever seen him have as he slipped the ring onto Lily's hand. Lily leaned down and kissed him chastely before wrapping her arms around his neck.

For what seemed like an endless amount of time, the two just sat and talked while enjoying the presence of the other. After some time, Lily told Al that she should call Edward. Al nodded as Lily moved to go to the phone at the other side of the room. Neither seemed to be capable of wiping a smile from their face. Lily picked up the receiver and dialed the number of their apartment.

The phone rang many times before it was answered. Ed spoke in a voice that was laced with obvious tiredness. "Hello?"

"Hi, Ed. It's Lily."

"Lily?" He asked confused. "What-? Where are you?" Well, so much for the note she had left.

"I'm at the hospital. I couldn't sleep so I came here. Edward... Alphonse is awake." Lily said, her happiness evident in her voice.

There was silence on the other line until Ed spoke in a choked whisper. "He's... awake? Really?"

Lily nodded while she said, "Yeah, he is. He's awake, Ed. He's okay."

After a moment, Ed spoke. "I'll be there in ten minutes." he said before hanging up the phone. Lily shook her head, laughing at Ed's brusqueness.

"What's wrong?" Al asked. He was looking at her with that look in his eye. The look of pure love that made Lily feel like she was melting.

"Nothing. Your brother is so... _abrupt_, that's all." she told her fiancé with a smile gracing her lips as she sat on the edge of the bed, entangling her fingers with his.

"Yeah, he's so predictable." Al laughed. "You should have seen when he was younger and would have subconscious reactions to the word 'short.' He would attack anyone other than Winry. He'd only yell at her. They'd end up calling each other an alchemy or automail _otaku_ uh... I mean geek." Al laughed again. After exactly ten minutes, the door to Alphonse's room was slammed open and Edward stood in the doorway, doubled over and out of breath. He must have sprinted the whole way to the hospital. After a few seconds, Ed straightened and his eyes met Alphonse's.

"Al..." he whispered. He walked over to his brother's bed, standing on the opposite side of the bed where Lily was sitting.

"Hello, Nii-san." Al said, looking up at his older brother with a smile. Both Alphonse and Lily were shocked when Edward smacked his little brother across the face with his left hand. "Ed?" Al questioned.

"What the hell were you thinking, Alphonse?" Ed yelled at his shocked brother. "You could have _died_, Al! What were you _thinking,_ jumping in front of that car!?"

"I didn't think, Nii-san." Al said quietly, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. "I didn't think, I just acted. I saw the little girl and I saw the car. The next thing I know I was pushing her out of the way. I couldn't just stand there and let her get hurt, Ed. I couldn't do that. And I know for a fact you would have done the same exact thing."

Ed sighed and nodded. "I know... it's just... _Don't _do it again, you crazy, noble idiot." Ed told him, reaching over and ruffling his hair like he used to do when they were kids. Al batted his hand away, glaring and Ed grinned, laughing. Then he caught sight of Al and Lily's entwined fingers, seeing the ring on her finger. His grin grew into a beaming smile that resembled a smirk. "Aw... looks like my baby brother finally got the nerve to propose! When's the wedding?" he asked, his voice teasing them. He chuckled as the two blushed before he grew more serious and told them, "Really, though, congratulations. So, when _is _the wedding?"

Lily and Alphonse looked at each other before turning back to Ed. "We haven't planned that far ahead, yet." Lily told him simply.

The three sat and talked the rest of the night, enjoying each other's company. When Dr. Marcus came in to the room that morning to check on Alphonse, he found Lily sleeping beside his patient on the hospital bed and Al and Edward talking quietly, obviously tired from the long hours they had stayed up.

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Alphonse was released from the hospital a week later, after the doctors had tested all of his brain functions and verified that he wasn't brain damaged. The entire week, Lily stayed by his side. She only left when Alphonse told her to go home. The only time she actually _listened_ was when Edward would drag her home.

For that week, Alphonse was ready to destroy every test that the doctors and neurologists forced him to take. Every single one was pointless information checking his intelligence level, making sure that his brain was still working properly. He could have answered any one of the questions when he was six or seven. Edward was the one who had asked the difficult questions. He would grill Alphonse with complex questions and equations concerning alchemy and rocket-science. Edward had determined that Alphonse was fine and exactly the same as before two days after Al woke up. Doctors... what do they know anyway?

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_Darkness blanketed her, choked her. Where was she? What was going on? She could feel herself falling through darkness but she didn't know if there was even any ground beneath her. There was nothing but shadows and blackness. Maybe she would just fall through the shadowy nothingness for the rest of eternity. _

_Suddenly, she could hear voices piercing the darkness. She knew these voices. She remembered what they were saying. She recognized the voices and the images they brought up._

Evie's gone, Lily

I'll make sure they let you stay.

Lils... you can find a way.

I'm Alphonse.

Our parents died too.

That was a beautiful song.

Lily... you're not alone anymore.

Miss, he was hit by a car.

He, what's wrong Lils?

What happened to Al? Lily, what happened to Alphonse?

Is there any way to tell _if _he'll wake up?

No, I'm sorry.

Because he loves you, Lils. He won't let himself stay like this. He's too stubborn.

Hi Lily.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry I made you cry so much.

Lily... I do love you.

I love you, Lily, and I know that will never change. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Lily, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?

_The words echoed and bounced around inside her head. She was dreaming. Or was she? After hearing the memories, she remembered every detail of her life. But what was memory and what was a fabrication of her mind? _Was_ there an Alphonse and Edward Elric? Did Alphonse really propose to her? Did he really he wake up? It seemed too surreal, too perfect to be real. She was positive that Edward and Alphonse were real. There was no possible way she could create them, much less there entire life. That was impossible. But did Alphonse really wake up and propose to her? It had been perfect. Nothing in her life had _ever_ been perfect. Why would that change now? _

Suddenly, bright multicolored lights flashed through the darkness. The bright lights blinded her as they formed into images. She saw Winnie, she saw Evie, saw her father, she saw her mother, and she saw Edward. Finally, she saw Alphonse.

Lily woke to feel pain. She blinked, wondering why she was lying on the floor. She must have fallen off the bed. For a moment, she just stayed on the floor, breathing deeply, trying to dispel the dream. Lily never had _normal_ nightmares. No, she had nightmares that made her doubt reality. It had been that way for as long as she could remember.

Suddenly, the door to her room was thrown open. Lily looked up to see Alphonse standing in the doorway in a pair of sweatpants, looking extremely worried. He had reason to be worried. She was lying on the floor, her blankets tangled around her body, and a bruise most likely forming on her temple.

Alphonse rushed over to her, slightly panicky. "Lily! Are you all right? What happened?"

Lily shook her head. "I'm fine. I just... I had a nightmare. I guess I fell out of bed. I'm fine, Al, really."

Alphonse said nothing, but his eyes showed that he didn't completely believe her when she assured him that she was fine. He stayed silent, though, and started to untangle the blankets from her legs. After about a minute, Al had successfully freed Lily from the confines of the blanket. He stood and helped Lily to her feet before replacing the blankets to their rightful home. He turned to Lily, trying to ignore the fact that she wore only a flimsy nightgown and he was wearing no shirt, only sweatpants. He sighed quietly, knowing that Lily was only telling him she was okay so that he wouldn't worry.

"Are you sure you're okay? Can I do anything to help? Do you need anything?" Al asked her, his brown eyes boring into hers.

Her eyes flitted around nervously before she spoke. "Could you... um... Could you... stay... with me?" Al's eyes widened and Lily started stuttering. "I-I mean, you don't... y-you don't have t-to. I just-" Al silenced her by placing his lips on hers. Lily melted into his touch, feeling her body gently lean against his. She was suddenly very acutely aware of what they were wearing. Or more appropriately, lack of what they were wearing. Before she could think any further, they separated.

"I'll stay with you... if you want me to." Al told her softly. Lily nodded. Awkwardly, she crawled back into her bed and Alphonse followed. Lily lay near the wall and Al opposite her. Both were slightly nervous about being in this particular situation. Then Lily spoke.

"Sorry I woke you." She told him as they intertwined their fingers. She slowly moved closer to Al and Alphonse wrapped his free arm around her waist.

Al smiled and looked down at their current position. He nodded and said sarcastically, "Yeah, I'd really love to be back in my room, sound asleep right now."

Lily laughed and buried her face under Al's chin, in his neck. She could feel sleep starting to seep into her consciousness, starting to claim her.

"Al?" she asked, her voice showing her state of half-consciousness.

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

Al smiled and kissed the crown of her head. "Love you too, Lily."

When Edward awoke the next morning, he went to look for Alphonse, seeing that he wasn't in his bed. When he found his little brother and Lily sleeping peacefully in each other's arms, he smiled but couldn't help but be jealous. Ever since Lily joined them, Ed always felt that tiny prick of envy for his brother. He was happy for Alphonse, of course he was, and he didn't want to resent his little brother in the slightest, but Edward wished that he and Winry could be together and be as happy as Al and Lily were. Ed hid the tiny amount of jealousy that he had for his little brother. Hadn't he been the one that had been so terrified of Alphonse being jealous that he had a body when Al hadn't? Hadn't he been scared to death of Alphonse thinking negative thoughts about him? No, he would not make his baby brother feel guilty about being happy. Al deserved to be happy, especially after all the pain he had gone through of not having a body. So Ed would keep his thoughts to himself. He wouldn't let anyone know about his dreams of Winry, or how he had bought a ring for her ages ago that she would never receive, or how seeing Al and Lily so happy together it sometimes gave him physical pain, knowing he would never have that with Winry. No one would ever know, though. No one would ever know.

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About half a year afterwards, Lily and Alphonse, along with everyone else involved, were preparing for the wedding that would begin in one hour. It would be a small wedding, mostly because neither Al nor Lily knew many people well enough to invite them to their wedding. The Hughes would be there of course. Gracia was Lily's maid of honor and Marc was the ring bearer. They had asked if Alicia wanted to be involved, but she had said that fourteen was bit old to be a flower girl. Also there, was Elizabeth and Roy Mosting with their daughter, Emilie; Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye's alter personalities. Edward and Alphonse and Lily had met them while looking for Huskisson's bomb in France. Lily and Elizabeth stayed in touch over the years. They had also invited Nina Kreider and her family. After Alphonse woke, in the week he was still hospitalized, Nina and Marie Kreider visited him to give their thanks and apologies. Nina was six and looked exactly like Nina Tucker. She even called Al and Ed the German equivalent of what Nina had called them. Between the six months of Al's recovery and the wedding, they would be invited to have dinner with the Kreider's every Saturday night. The Kreider family consisted of Thomas and Marie and their children Erik, Joseph, and Nina. Erik was eleven and Joseph nine. Since Alicia had refused, Nina was the flower girl.

At the moment, Gracia, Elizabeth, Marie, Alicia, Emilie, Nina, and Lily were dressing for the wedding. Well, Alicia was keeping Emily and Nina busy and keeping them away from anything that would dirty their dresses. Gracia, Elizabeth, and Marie were helping Lily lace up the back of her dress while discussing how to fix her hair while getting her make-up ready.

While the women were busy doing this, Alphonse, Edward, Maes, Roy, Thomas, Erik, Joseph, and Marc were at the church. Ed had given Maes and Roy the task of making sure everything was set up and in its right place. Even though Edward and Alphonse didn't necessarily believe in God, the wedding was at a church because Al and Lily wanted a real wedding, not just getting a certificate. They wanted to remember the day, remember the occasion. Thomas was keeping the kids busy and clean while Ed tried to calm down his brother. Al was pacing back and forth while Ed sat casually with his feet propped up.

"Al, calm down." Ed told his brother. "What are you so worried about?"

Al turned to his older brother, "What _don't _I have to worry about, Ed?! I'm getting _married today!"_ Then he returned to his pacing. Ed sighed and shook his head. Ed stood and grabbed his younger brother, forcing him to sit on the couch. The two were in a living room type area after all. "Ed!" Al exclaimed indignantly.

"Look." Ed told him, standing in front of him with his arms folded. He would have just stopped Al from pacing, but he hated the fact that his little brother was now taller than him. "You _need_ to stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine. Lily will get here and you'll have an amazing wedding and you'll live happily ever after. Now _stop worrying!_" Then Ed sat on the couch beside his brother, once again propping his feet up.

As Ed was placating Alphonse, Lily and the other women were just arriving at the church in another similar room. Lily was standing in front of a window, not quite believing she was really here. That it was really her wedding day. She was happy, happier than she had been in a very long time. Even though she was happy, she did feel slightly depressed. Her Mom, Dad, sister, Winnie... they weren't here. She couldn't stay up all night talking with her best friend and older sister, explaining how excited she was. She didn't have her mom to tell her that everything would be okay. She didn't have her dad to walk her down the aisle and give her away. She tried to block these thoughts from her mind though. None of them would want her to feel sad on her wedding day.

Somehow, before anyone knew it, it was time to begin the ceremony. Lily was left in the room alone for a moment. She looked at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing herself in the reflection. Then, Edward entered. He walked behind Lily and rested his gloved hands on her shoulders.

"You ready?" Ed asked her.

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Lily said quietly.

"You're nervous." Ed said. Lily chuckled slightly at his straight-forwardness. "Just so you know, Al's just as nervous as you are. Maybe more." Ed turned Lily around to face him before telling her, "I'll tell you what I told Al. You're going to go into the church, you'll have an amazing wedding, and you'll have a wonderfully happy ending. Everything's going to be fine."

Lily sighed slightly and smiled. "Thanks, Ed."

Ed nodded and led Lily out of the room. They managed to make it to the doors that would lead to the chapel without incident. After Al and Lily had decided on a date for their wedding, which Ed later realized was the day they had met, Lily had asked Edward if he would walk her down the aisle and give her away. After he had broken out of his shock, he had agreed whole-heartedly.

Lily knew they would begin soon. Any moment now. Despite Ed's words, she was still scared. _Would_ this be her happy ending? Or would more misfortune befall her, or more appropriately, the people she loved. Before she could think much longer, Edward slipped his arm through hers. Lily took a deep breath before starting to walk through the now open doors.

When Alphonse saw Lily, he tried not to drop his jaw. Lily was beautiful. Not that she wasn't always beautiful, but right now... she was... _angelic_. Her dark hair was curled into tight ringlets with the veil set atop her head. Her dress had thin straps and the white cloth hugged her upper body, then went outwards so that there were a few layers of cloth around her lower body. She looked like an angel.

After what seemed like a very long time, Lily and Edward walked past the few spectators and made it to the front of the church where Alphonse and Gracia stood. Ed turned to Lily as he removed his arm from hers before taking the veil, draping it over the back of her head and away from her face. He placed a sweet, brotherly kiss on her forehead before he spoke.

"Be happy. More importantly, don't _question_ that happiness, Lils." Then Edward smiled down at her and took her hand, leading her closer to Alphonse. He put her hand into his baby brother's and before taking his place by Alphonse as the best man.

The wedding ran smoothly. Sooner than anyone anticipated, time came for the vows. Soon after Alphonse and Lily decided on a date, sometime after they had asked Edward to give her away, they started thinking about details about the ceremony. Lily made it clearly known that she wanted to write her own vows. Al decided afterwards that he would too. Lily spoke first.

"Alphonse... when we met on this day five years ago, I was alone in the world. I had no one. I knew no one and no one knew me. Then I met you and your brother. You saved me from a group of thugs that probably would have hurt me pretty badly, if they had even left me alive. If that wasn't enough generosity, you took me in and let me live with you. I think that I may have fallen in love with you that day, Al. I don't think that I knew it then, but I fell in love with Alphonse Elric, the day that I met you. You are the kindest, most generous man I have ever had the fortune to meet. When I'm around you, every love cliché comes true. I never though, in any of my wildest dreams, that I would meet a man as wonderful as you. I promise you that I will love you no matter what. Through good times and bad, I will stay with you and love forevermore. I love you, Alphonse Elric, and I always will." By the time Lily finished, everyone was teary eyed. Alphonse squeezed Lily's hands in his own, ignoring the sparkling tears that stained his face.

"Lily... I-I really don't know what to say after that. I'm positive that I could never come up with something as beautiful as what you just said. Lily, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. You are the most beautiful and most amazing person I have met. You are always on my mind and in my heart. When I think about the pain that you went through before I met you, it makes me sick. I get physically ill to think about anyone treating you badly. You deserve to be treated... well, better than anyone can possibly do. I promise I will always treat you as well as I possibly can. I promise that I will always look after you, Lily. I love you and can't imagine life without you. You_ are _my life, Lily. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." Alphonse told Lily. When he was finished, everyone was wiping away tears. Then Marc Hughes stepped forward and Alphonse and lily slipped the gold bands on to the others fingers. Then they smiled before their lips met in a sweetly passionate kiss as the spectators clapped.

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A half hour later, the entire wedding party was in a beer hall for the reception. They got permission from the owner to move some tables to create a dance floor. Also, they invited anyone that was in the hall to join the party. After everyone ate a little, Edward and Lily began the first dance. Ed's automail hand rested on her waist, his flesh hand in hers. Lily's unoccupied hand rested on Edward's shoulder.

"I didn't know you could dance, Ed." she told her brother-in-law with a smile.

"Yeah, well... I didn't know until a week ago. Al forced me into getting Gracia to teach us. It took us nearly five days to get it right." Ed laughed. "So, you done being nervous?" Ed asked her, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

Lily smiled softly, "Yeah, yeah I am." she laughed in delight as he spun her in a circle. "Thank you, Ed." she told him after they were back into the normal dance position again.

"For what?" Ed asked, genuinely confused.

"For walking me down the aisle. For giving me away. For having the first dance with me. For... for playing the role my dad would have, if he were still alive. Just... thank you." Lily told him, tears in her eyes.

The corners of Ed's mouth quirked upward. "No problem, Lils. It was my pleasure."

Before either could say anything more, Alphonse appeared and tapped his brother's shoulder. "May I cut in?" Ed grinned and bowed jokingly to Lily, who grinned and did a mock of a curtsy before standing on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you." then Ed strode away and Al took Lily in his arms and they began to dance. They didn't speak; Lily only laid her hand on Alphonse's shoulder as they twirled and spun around the makeshift dance floor.

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Looking back, everyone agree that it was a beautiful wedding. For a year, the Elrics lived happily and peacefully. They ignored the political problems that ravaged the country of Germany. Alphonse and Lily were happier than they had ever been before. They remained in the apartment with Edward, the only difference being that Alphonse had moved into Lily's room.

All three Elrics were happy until the day that their door was broken down. They had been eating dinner when the Nazis burst in. Lily had been closest to the door and was the first to be grabbed. Alphonse and Edward managed to disable many of the men before being subdued. The lead officer did something despicable to subdue them when it was obvious they would take out his entire team easily. He held a gun to Lily's head and threatened that he would shoot if they resisted.

The Nazis then scoured the entire neighborhood for anyone who was Jewish. They only managed to find about ten Jews, but they arrested thirty others that were with the ten. Then the three were ferried to a ghetto. The three almost escaped, but Lily had been shot in the leg. After their attempted escape, the Nazis took them to Auschwitz where they managed to survive for a year before being taken to the gas chambers.

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By the time Lily was finished painstakingly remembering the details of her life, she was sobbing with her knees drawn up to her chest. It was so painful, remembering her past. She reached a hand up, closing her fist around the locket Winnie had given her. She had been so relieved when she had awoken and the familiar metal was around her neck.

The strangest thing about the emotions Lily was feeling at the moment was that more than anything, she felt _relieved. _It seemed as if Alphonse was right, as usual. Remembering the past didn't always have to be completely painful. She was allowed to remember and not feel guilty anymore.


	7. Sixth: Captured

_A/N: Sorry I took so long to update guys. I really am sorry. First off, I was suffering from writer's block for a few months there. I couldn't decide how to get to where I wanted to get. Then I was rereading the first five chapters and decided I needed to revamp this fic. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Oh, and to the person who left me the review saying that Lily was a Mary Sue and that we barely see Ed, not every fanfic has to revolve around Edward. I try to feature _everyone _in this story. It can be pretty hard, but I attempt to. If you don't like Lily, then don't read. Simple as that. Okay, had to get that off my chest. I think that was a reason I got this updated now. I needed to get that off my chest. :D Anyway, I now know where I'm going with this story (I wrote up a list of what happens every chapter) and I am almost done writing the next chapter. As soon as I get that finished and typed up I'll post it. I want to thank everyone who reviewed (even the Mary Sue reviewer) and appreciate all the feedback. If you could read the revamped chapters and give some feedback I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you everyone! I love all of you!!!! hugs and kisses_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST. I AM NOT JAPANESE AND AM NOT A VERY GOOD ARTIST THEREFORE I AM NOT ARAKAWA-SAMA. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT FOR SOME DVD'S OF THE SERIES AND THE MANGAS. sigh I hate disclaimers..._

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_Chapter Six: Captured_

"_Why_ exactly do I have to dress up again?" Ed moaned at Winry, reminding of her when they were younger and he would whine at anything he didn't agree with. She sighed at his immaturity.

"_Because _Edward, Roy and Riza are coming over. And-" she continued before the alchemist could say anything rude about the former General. "_And_ because Gracia agreed it should be a formal dinner. You're just lucky Lily and I went out and got you and Al more clothes last week. _How_ do men survive with only three pairs of clothing?" the blonde mechanic asked rhetorically as she tightened Ed's tie.

Ed grumbled something in return but Lily and Alphonse entered before he could speak. It had been about a month and a half since Winry arrived; two and a half since returning to Central. Alphonse, Lily, and Edward had all gotten much better a little while after Winry arrived. They got their appetites back which helped them start gaining their weight back. Any of the three could still be caught staring into space with pained looks in their eyes, but it was definitely not as often as before. They also smiled and laughed and were happy more. They were truly happy again. All three agreed that it felt good to not have to worry about the Nazis anymore.

"Stop complaining, Nii-san." Al told him, already wearing his formal clothing. He had a long sleeved shirt that was a deep blue and was accompanied with a black tie and matching pants. Beside him, grinning at Ed's displeasure, she wore a deep green dress with long sleeves that cut up high in the front, but low in the back. The dress brushed her calves while her dark hair was held back in a braid then twisted into a knot at the base of her neck.

"I'm not complaining." Ed grumbled. Winry laughed and gave him a sweet kiss. She wore a black spaghetti strap shirt, white vest, and a red skirt that brushed her ankles.

"Of course you aren't, Ed." Winry told him with a smile. Before they could speak anymore, the doorbell rang. "That must be them."

"Why do we have to eat with Mustang?" Ed whined once more. He folded his arms across his chest and the three other occupants of the room laughed at his childish manner.

"I thought you had actually _matured _some, Edward." Winry teased. "Besides, Roy isn't that bad and you know it. You think I haven't seen you two getting along? Come to think of it, you two are pretty similar." Again, all three adults laughed at the look of disgust and shock on Ed's face. "Come on, let's go."

The four made their way downstairs and were met with a high-pitched squeal of, "Auntie Lil!" Lily laughed and bent down when Emily Mustang attacked her in a hug around her knees. Emily was four years old and had dark hair like her father and her mother's dark brown eyes with that slight red hue. When she met Lily, she followed the woman around everywhere. The little girl loved her surrogate aunt. She loved doing things with the woman and Lily loved doing things with Emily.

"Hey, kid." Lily laughed, picking up the small child. Emily wrapped her arms around Lily's neck and gave her a big smile. Al couldn't help but smile to himself. It looked so... _right _for Lily to be holding a child in her arms. He couldn't help but think how good of a mother she would be. Every time he saw Lily with a child, she was so carefree. Even when she was terribly depressed, if there was a child somewhere around her, her face would light up. She loved children, and kids loved her. "How have you been, Em? Staying out of trouble?" Lily asked the girl with a smile.

"Yep!" Emily chirped. The little girl peeked over Lily's shoulder and waved to the other adults. "'Ello, Uncle Ed and Al! Hi Auntie Win!" The three adults smiled and greeted the child in return just as Riza rounded the corner. She smiled and greeted everyone.

"Gracia is almost done with dinner. It should be ready any minute now." The former first lieutenant turned to her daughter who was still perched on Lily's hip. "You're not bothering you're Aunt Lily, are you Emily?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Nevah!" the girl exclaimed, slightly indignant. The adults all laughed before they migrated to the dining room. They were greeted by Roy then they sat done to enjoy the feast that Gracia, Lily, and Winry had spent all day preparing. Sometime after everyone but Edward had finished eating, Riza and Roy told everyone that the wanted to make an announcement.

"Well, the reason we wanted to here for dinner tonight was to tell you all something." Roy said simply.

"Last week I went to see a doctor. I found out that I'm pregnant." Riza said with a soft smile. "We're going to have another baby." The blonde woman beamed as Winry and Lily stood and attacked her in a hug and giving their congratulations. While Riza talked with Gracia, Winry, and Lily, she watched as Elysia amused Emily before turning her gaze to Roy who was sitting with Ed and Al. She caught his eye and smiled when he winked at her, being his usual obnoxiously flirtatious self. Riza sighed with a smile before returning to the conversation. Things were going to be okay, now. Life was good at the moment. Everything seemed to be right in the world, for the first time in a long time.

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A few days later, everything was calm again. It was midday and Lily was taking a nap, Al was reading somewhere, Gracia was out on errands while Elysia was at school, and Winry was doing Ed's weekly maintenance.

"So, Ed, why are you so good at taking care of your automail now?" Winry asked him with a smirk. "What made you see the light?"

Ed raised an eyebrow while saying, "Well, I had to spend two years with those shitty plastic contraptions. Your automail really is the best, Win." Winry blushed and chuckled. Ed grew nervous, knowing that the chance was perfect. He had come so close so many times then lost his nerve. Would he be able to do it now? "I-uh... I have something I've been meaning to ask you." he said quietly. This in itself surprised Winry, but she simply finished tweaking up his arm before collapsing on the couch next to him.

"Yeah, and what's that?" she asked with a smile, looking up at him from her place of leaning against his shoulder. She was slightly surprised when Ed moved away slightly and fiddled with something in his pocket.

"Well, I... I wanted to ask you if... if you would consider... being my wife." Ed said simply and difficultly, a blush forming on his face.

Winry stared at him with a look of shock on her face. "Really?" she asked.

Ed nodded, his face set. "Really."

"You want to marry me?" Winry asked, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

Ed nodded, saying, "Yeah."

Winry gave him the same dazzling smile she had given him after he told her that he loved her. Then, she wrapped her arms around his middle and whispered one simple word in his ear. "Yes."

Ed's face acquired a look of pure relief and peace and contentment before it morphed into a mischievous smile. "Really?"

"Really." she mumbled, just as content as he was.

"You want to marry me?" he asked, his voice slightly teasing. Winry pushed away from him and gave him a look before smacking his arm. Then she grinned and leaned in to kiss him. As they kissed, Ed removed the small box from his pocket that he had bought years earlier. When he, Al, and Lily appeared in Central, the ring was safely in his pocket again. He had always kept the ring in his pocket. It had rested safely against his right thigh for many, many years. When the two separated, the blond alchemist held the box out to her. She took it with a teary smile, slipping the ring onto her finger with shaky hands after gasping at its beauty. The two felt complete contentment for the first time in a long time. They were together, and soon they would be together for the rest of eternity.

That's when Ed glanced out the window. His face grew grave when he saw that a whole group of uniformed military men marched up the street out of large black vans, heading for the house. "Winry, the military's-" But Ed was cut off when the officers kicked in the front door. "Hide!" he hissed at his fiancé, pulling her into a closet and shutting the door. When he turned, he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

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Al heard the commotion from downstairs and raced to Lily's room, finding her heading toward the door with sleep still hovering over her. "Lily, you have to hide! If they know we're here, they might know about you!" he said, his voice hushed.

"I'm not leaving you, Alphonse! I'm not going to hide in the corner like some coward and let them take you!" she hissed, but Al had moved both of them into the corner. He drew a transmutation circle on the wall and before touching it, he kissed her and held her close to him. Then he moved away from her.

"I love you, Lily. Stay safe." Al whispered before morphing a wall around his wife. He laid his palm against the transmuted wall and whispered, "I'm sorry, Lily. I'm sorry." Then he moved away just as the door was thrown open. Three men in military uniforms armed with guns entered.

"It's him, sir." one of the men said as a fourth man entered. This man wore the lapels of a General.

"Alphonse Elric. We are taking you into custody." the General said. Alphonse said nothing and simply glared at the man. The General nodded and the three men moved forward. Al fought back. As he was fighting off two of the men, however, the third hit him on the back of the head with a gun, knocking him out.

Had the soldiers listened closely, they would have heard a muffled sound of a woman's screaming and pounding. On the other side of the wall, Lily beat against the wood, screaming for her husband. Tears pooled in her emerald eyes as the skin on her hand ripped away and began to bleed. The thoughts running through her mind were haphazard and centered around one thing. She couldn't be separated from Alphonse. Not again.

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Ed gasped in pain, closing his left hand over the wound on his leg, putting pressure on it. Horror filled his entire being when Winry threw open the closet door, screaming his name. She fell to her knees beside him, her hands on his shoulders. For a few excruciating long moments, the man held the gun pointed at Winry. Ed seriously thought he was going to shoot her and wanted to move in front of her, to protect her, but did not want the man to shoot as soon as he moved. Then Ed saw the rest of the men walking down the hallway, carrying an unconscious Alphonse. The man holding Winry at gunpoint turned and left. Ed wanted to yell, to scream out for his little brother, but the pain of the bullet wound in his right calf choked his voice, enabling him temporarily deaf.

"Ed, are you okay?" Winry asked frantically and slightly hysterically.

Ed nodded as Winry started to remove his belt. He didn't struggle or act surprised because he knew what she was doing. Being an automail mechanic, Winry knew a lot of medical knowledge. Including how to make a correct tourniquet. He gasped in pain as she tightened the belt around his leg, cutting off his circulation. Winry kissed his temple before moving toward the window. She ripped off a segment of the curtain and went back to Ed.

"They took Al." he managed to gasp out, holding his leg in pain. Winry removed his hands and quickly wrapped the ripped piece of curtain around his wound, attempting to stop the bleeding.

Winry gasped and closed her eyes. "Lily too?" she asked painfully.

Ed shook his head and spoke quietly. "Don't think so."

"Are you okay?" Winry asked with worried tears in her eyes. She hated seeing Ed hurt. He always tried to be so strong. So brave.

Ed nodded. "I'll be okay. C-Come on. We've got to find Lily. Al probably made her hide." Winry nodded and helped Ed stand. She wrapped an arm around his waist as Ed put his flesh arm around her shoulders. Slowly, the two made their way upstairs. They went into Al and Lily's room, knowing that it had been the last place Lily had been and noticed the extra wall in the corner. In the strange silence they could hear Lily's muffled screams and pounding from the opposite side of the transmuted wall. Ed removed his arm from around Winry and clapped his hands together before placing them on the wall. In a flash of blue light, the wall receded back to its original home and revealed Lily. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks tearstained, and her hands bloody. She looked up at the two from her place on the floor and wordless stood, moving to help Winry support Ed. Then the three slowly made their way from the house, not wanting to be caught by the military if they returned. They left a note for Gracia, explaining what had happened.

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Riza sighed sadly as she cleaned out the wound in Ed's leg, listening to their tale. So, the military knew Ed and Al were at Gracia's all along. The question was, why did they take Alphonse and not Edward? Theoretically, they should want Edward just as much as Alphonse, if not more. He was the Fullmetal Alchemist and had deserted, according to the military.

Lily was the person she was most worried about, however. Since arriving in their home, the young woman had not said a word. She hadn't even winced in pain when Roy cleaned and bandaged her hands. She just sat by the window, staring into space with a look of pain on her face. Riza couldn't blame her, though. She loved Alphonse more than life itself. Anyone could tell how much the two loved each other after spending five minutes with them. Riza thought that Lily was handling this pretty well. She had no idea what _she _would do if Roy was taken away from her. Of course, from what Riza understood, the two had been separated for quite a while before. She remembered Lily mentioning that Alphonse had proposed to her after awakening from a coma, and they had been separated during the year they had been in what Lily called a _Konzentrationslager._ Still, that fact probably made it even harder for Lily. She most likely felt like she had just been reunited with Alphonse and now he was gone again. Riza's heart went out for her, knowing that this was going to be extremely difficult for her.

Riza sighed once more and turned her focus back to Ed's leg. The bullet had missed his bone and any other vital places. He was lucky. The worst part of his wound was that he would have to limp around for a few weeks. After Riza finished bandaging his wound, he stood slowly. Winry stood with him, attempting to force him to sit once more. He merely shook his head and limped his way over to where Lily sat. She was sitting in the window seat, her arms wrapped around her knees. He sat opposite her and said nothing, noticing that she didn't even blink when he came to her.

"Lils?" Ed asked. Lily said nothing, but she turned her face to Ed. He felt slightly mortified by the look in her eyes. Usually, her green eyes were bright and attentive, holding a spark of hope and happiness. Even when Al had been in the hospital in a coma, her eyes and still retained that spark of hope. Now, they were hollow. Her emerald orbs seemed completely void of anything but pain. "Lily..." he whispered, her eyes haunting him. Ed didn't know what to say. He desperately wanted to comfort the woman he considered his younger sister, but he had no idea how. He hated seeing Lily like this. She was a source of happiness in this world. She was one of the few people in the world that could make anyone feel a little bit happier just by her mere presence. When Lily was happy, you couldn't help but smile. Winry and Lily were similar in this way.

Hesitantly, Ed reached out and let his flesh hand rest on Lily's forearm. It seemed as if the simple gesture of comfort was all that it took for Lily to break. A moment later, she broke down. Her body crumpled and Ed moved his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder. For the first time in all the times Ed had seen Lily cry, she was actually sobbing. She was actually crying _audibly._ Even though Lily had cried often in the time he knew her, she rarely cried in a way that people would her hear. Ed felt tears prick his own eyes as he rubbed his sister's back in circles. Lily was broken. She was truly broken without Alphonse. Ed felt anger bubble up inside his chest, feeling an overwhelming sense of protectiveness for the girl in his arms. If he ever found the bastard who took his brother, he would kill him, simply because he was hurting Lily so badly. Then he looked up and saw that Winry had come over and wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders. When he looked into his fiancé's eyes, he saw tears in her eyes two. Removing his left arm from around Lily, he slipped his hand into Winry's and squeezed it, trying to assure her that sooner or later everything would be okay. Even if he didn't truly believe it himself.

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Lily tossed and turned in the guest bed Roy and Riza had set up for her. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Alphonse's face. She saw him morphing the wall around her. She sighed and rose from the bed, leaving the room. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. Silently, she took her seat at the window once more. So many thoughts were filling her mind that she felt disoriented. Thoughts of hear of the future. Thoughts of fear for Alphonse's safety. Thoughts of worry. Thoughts of despair. She knew that she would never see Al again. No matter what way she looked at it, she came to the same conclusion. They would keep him forever. The military would never let him go. She was alone again. All the people who were around her and cared about her meant nothing if it meant she would never see Al again. If Al was gone... there was nothing left for her to live for.

"Auntie Lil?" Lily turned to see Emily standing in the doorway, a stuffed rabbit in her arms and looking extremely sleepy.

"What are you doing up, Em?" Lily asked. Emily came over to Lily and crawled up onto the window seat, settling herself in the older woman's lap.

"Auntie Lil, why are you so sad?" Emily asked her sweetly, looking up at her with her big brown eyes. "Where's Uncle Al?"

Lily's eyes grew teary. "Uncle Al is gone, Em." Lily whispered, trying to keep her voice even and stop tears from flowing down her face.

"Where'd he go?" Emily asked, confusion and curiosity on her face. "Why'd he leave?"

"He didn't leave. You see, Em, there are some people who think Uncle Al has done some bad things. So the took him away. They're going to blame Uncle Al for something he didn't do." Lily explained, trying to make the little girl understand and at the same time trying not to break down again.

After a few moments of silence, the small child spoke again. "Auntie Lil, don't be sad. Uncle Al wouldn't like it if you're sad." Emily told her, hugging her close. Lily knew that the little girl was right. Al would _hate_ seeing her like this. But knowing this didn't help the pain ease. She couldn't force herself into pretending everything was going to be okay. She couldn't trick herself into thinking that she would see her husband again. She couldn't fool herself into pretending to be happy. She knew that it wasn't healthy, but she couldn't help but be depressed. She loved Alphonse. Alphonse was a _part _of her. He held a part of her being. He had her heart. He had her _happiness. _Without Alphonse, she'd never truly be able to live. There would always be a part of her missing. Always and forever.

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_A/N: Thanks for reading! I would really appreciate feedback. And flames are welcome, I love fire. I'm slightly pyromaniac-ish. Wow! I just made a word! giggle Like I said before, I will attempt to update as quickly as possible. Hope you enjoyed! Aishiteru! Arigatou!_

Ja ne,

Gerbil-san xoxo


	8. Seventh: Revelations

**_A/N: _Hi guys! I am soooooooo eternally sorry that it has taken so long to update. The end of school really caught up with me and I'm not going to lie, I completely forgot that I had this chapter written by the time summer rolled around. That, and I was busy obsessing over _Pirates 3_. Ah... who can resist Orlando Bloom in pirate garb? Anyway, back on topic. I'm really sorry and hopefully I will be able to get through the next chapter quickly enough. I also regret to say that we won't be finding out why Al was taken for a while. Sorry guys! I honestly didn't think everybody would be so gung-ho about getting answers! You guys rock, though! Thanks so much for all the great reviews!**

**_DISCLAIMER:_ No, I don't own FMA. I do, however, own 9 of the DVD's, 12 of the mangas (stupid small town, I can't find volume 1 anywhere! and i just have a thing about shopping online...), an Al and Winry plushie, two t-shirts, two of the trading cards, most of the songs downloaded from the internet, and have many, many icons. **

* * *

A week after Alphonse was taken, Ed and Winry and Lily were boarding a train headed for Resembool. Roy had gotten a phone call from Fuery earlier saying that Edward was no longer a suspect in the Liore incident. He also informed them that the military was not acknowledging that they had Alphonse in custody. Immediately following this call, everyone decided that the safest move would be to return to Resembool. 

Lily had not gotten any better, however. In fact, she was worse. She was so stressed that she wasn't eating properly and she threw up almost every day. Everyone was worried about her, but she insisted that she was fine and didn't need a doctor. Lily didn't seem completely depressed when she was with Emily, though. The little girl somehow managed to make the young woman smile even when it looked like all she wanted to do was pull her legs to her chest and sob.

Now, the three were on the train bound for Edward and Winry's hometown. Ed was sitting with his flesh arm around Winry as she stared out the window at the passing scenery. Lily sat across from them, also staring out the window. Ed found himself fearful for Lily. She had never, _ever_, been this bad before. She was so distraught, so depressed, and Ed didn't know how to help her. When Alphonse had been in a coma, Lily had been bad off, but she had still been hopeful. She still managed to find something to be happy about in everyday life. Now... now it seemed like Lily had just given up on life altogether. Lily was his little sister and Edward wanted to help and protect her. He found the same instinct that he had for Al and Winry he had for Lily. The instinct that he needed to keep them safe and happy at all costs. He wanted to help Lily desperately, but he didn't know how.

Even though the journey to Resembool was long, it seemed to pass quickly to the three. When they arrived in the rural town, Ed limped off of the train, his leg still bothering him slightly. He carried the few suitcases that they had. Winry walked with Lily, pointing out the different places and people in the small town. Unfortunately, the young woman just stared lifelessly at everything, not even acknowledging that she had heard her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Soon, the three arrived at the Rockbell home. Ed smiled to himself, noting that it looked exactly as he remembered. He almost expected Den to come bounding out and see Granny Pinako smoking her pipe on the porch. He knew neither of these things would happen, though. Winry had told him that both Granny and Den had died years ago. He remembered feeling terrible that she had been alone since then. He was surprised, however, when he heard barking. From the back of the house, a large golden retriever raced out. The blonde mechanic laughed as the large dog ran around her in circles, begging for protection. She bent over and greeted the dog.

"Hello, Kisu." Winry smiled. As the dog named Kisu went to investigate Ed, Winry said, "I rescued Kisu. I found him down by the river, his legs beaten pretty badly. He was still a puppy then. I brought him home and he's stuck around ever since." After Kisu checked Ed out, she went over to investigate Lily. As the three walked, the golden dog trotted beside the young woman and kept nudging her hand with her wet nose until Lily let her fingers gently rest on the dog's head.

"Welcome home, Lily." Winry told her as they entered the house. Lily gazed around silently, trying to get the fact that her husband had spent most of his childhood in this house and had lived in this house for a little while. As the overwhelming emptiness began to fill her, Kisu nuzzled her head under Lily's hand and licking in it in what seemed like comfort. With teary eyes and a small, almost non-existent smile, she stroked the dog's golden head.

* * *

Two weeks later, Lily was moving in to the town of Resembool quite well despite the fact that she was in the throes of depression. Ed and Winry were happy at least to see that Kisu the dog was always with Lily. Even if it was just by a little bit, the big lovable dog managed to help Lily. Yes, she was depressed, but somehow the golden retriever managed to brighten her day, even if it was just by the tiniest bit.

One night, Ed found Lily sitting outside under a tree with Kisu lying beside her, resembling a sphinx. She had a far-off look in her emerald eyes. Although, the look in her gaze was not that of pure pain and sadness as it was most of the time. It had another emotion that Ed could not identify. He did notice that her face was not set into a frown as it usually was. It definitely wasn't a smile, but there seemed to be a hint of one, as if there were the possibility of a smile.

"Hey." Ed said quietly, sitting next to Lily save for the half-sleeping dog between them. "How are you?" Ed merely asked the question out of habit. He didn't expect Lily to answer. How _could _she answer? Ed knew how she was. He had felt the same thing after being separated from Winry.

After a few moments, however, Ed was shocked when Lily spoke softly. "I found my reason to live."

"What?" Ed asked, not having the slightest hint of what she was talking about.

Lily spoke with her eyes trained on the horizon, staring at the sun which had almost disappeared. "When they took Alphonse... I knew I would never see him again."

Before she said anything more, Ed interrupted her. "Don't say that." he said, tears threatening to fall and choking his voice. The only reason he hadn't broken down in the past three weeks was because he assured himself that he would see his little brother again. "You don't know that."

Lily turned to Ed, her eyes also filled to the brim with tears. "Do you honestly think that the military will let him go? They'll keep him, Ed." Lily sighed heavily and turned away once more. "When they took him I lost my reason, my _purpose_, to live. Al's all I had left. I appreciate everything you and Winry have done for me, but you know it isn't the same. " Lily paused before speaking again. "I found my reason to live, though."

Ed waited in anticipation, trying to think what she could have found recently that would be worth living. She didn't speak again though, so Ed asked, "What's your reason?" He watched as she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, leaning her head upwards and against the tree. "Lily?"

Lily took a deep breath before speaking. "Ed... I-I'm pregnant." she whispered, a single tear falling down her face. "When I went out yesterday, I went to the doctor. I've been getting sick for almost two weeks now. I-I'm going to have a baby." Ed noticed that she had brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. He could see that she was struggling not to cry. He knew that she hated to cry even though she did it quite often. Ed stood wordlessly and moved to Lily's other side, around Kisu and wrapped his arms around her. "Ed... I'm scared. How can I raise a _baby_ on my own!?" she asked desperately. She moved her legs down and leaned into her brother-in-law's embrace, gripping his shirt in her fists as the tears poured down.

Somehow, Ed managed to speak through his shock. "Lily, you can do this. If _anyone _can do this, it's you." Ed told her in a whisper. "You're not alone, though. Winry and I will help you in anyway we can."

Lily either didn't hear him or ignored him. "I can't do it without him." she whispered, her voice broken. Sensing her despair, Kisu pulled herself out of the half-slumber and whined slightly, letting her head rest in Lily's lap. A few minutes later, she calmed down enough to move away from Ed's embrace and lean against the tree once more. Ed leaned back onto his elbows, watching the dog close her eyes in contentment as Lily scratched her head and behind her ears. After many moments of silent hesitation, Lily asked, "Do you really think I can do this? Do you honest believe I can take care of a baby on my own?"

Ed thought for a moment before sitting up straight and meeting Lily's eyes. "Yes, Lily. I _know_ you can do this. You are going to me an amazing mother, trust me." And for the first time in the three weeks since Al was taken, Lily truly smiled. She smiled in a way that held no sadness. In that moment, Ed found himself truly believing that Lily would be okay.

"Ed?" Lily asked quietly as the two began to walk back to the house.

"Yeah?"

"I never told you or Al, but... remember the friend who took me in after my mom died?" Ed nodded, glancing at Lily out of the corner of his eye. "Her name was Winnie. She was Winry's alternate."

"I know." Ed said with an embarrassed smile. "Al and I have known since the day we met you. When you fell asleep that day, your photo album fell. We saw Winnie and... and your mother." Ed chuckled slightly. "We were definitely shocked by _that _picture."

"I was shocked when I saw Winry's picture of your Mom, too." Lily commented with the ghost of a smile. For a few more moments, everything was silent save for the sound of their feet on the grass and Kisu's panting. After a moment, Lily stopped and gave Ed a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "Arigatou for listening to me, Nii-san." Lily said quietly, using the name that Al called him.

Ed smiled sadly. "No problem." When the two entered the house, Winry was sitting at the table, fiddling with an automail leg. She looked up and smiled at them as Lily moved to sit on the couch and Ed leaned down, giving her a chaste kiss before sitting next to Lily. The blonde stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the two. She immediately noted the look of brotherly pride on Ed's face and the odd, far-off look in Lily's eyes accompanied by the faintest hint of a smile. "Okay," she said seriously. "What am I missing?"

Lily scratched Kisu's head which was currently resting on her knee. Her eyes turned soft and she unconsciously rested her free hand on her still flat stomach. "I... I'm pregnant, Winry." Lily said, the corner of her mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly.

Winry's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?" she asked, her voice showing her shock.

Lily nodded, the overwhelming fear and uncertainty washing over her once more, making her feel like she was drowning. She couldn't help but wonder if it would always be this way? Would she always doubt herself? Would she always be afraid and uncertain without Alphonse? Lily was broken from her inner thoughts when Winry moved to sit on the arm of the couch beside Lily and wrap an arm around the younger woman's shoulders.

"Lils... Congratulations." Winry whispered. After a moment, the blonde bounced back and clapped her hands together. "This is going to be great! We can set the guest room up as a nursery, and..." Ed smiled softly as his fiancé rambled on, speaking with the same fervor that she usually reserved for automail. He glanced at Lily who was currently gazing down at her stomach, where her hand still rested. He reached out his left hand and let it rest on hers. She looked over at him and smiled softly, silently thanking him for his support, knowing that he was telling her that in some way or another, everything would be okay. Lily couldn't help but think to herself how lucky she was that she had a family again. It felt so good to know that there were people there for her and ready to care for her no matter what.

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**_A/N: Okay, first off, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. The next one is going to entail Lily's pregnancy so it's going to be longer. Also, it will be from other perspectives, some that we may not have seen before. I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed and wanted to apologize in advance for any errors. I'd like it if you guys reviewed, and flames are welcome because I looooooooove fire. (note the evil smirk, like Riza in the Chibi Party OVA)_**

**_xoxoxo_**

_**Until next time, **Gerbil-san_


	9. Eighth: Four Years Past

**_A/N: I'm back! Finally! I'm really sorry about how long it's been but I'm sure you guys have figured out already how bad I am with updating. I have to say though I'm extremely proud of this chapter. And you have one person to thank for this chapter being out and that is our very own kuroxdoragon! Kuro emailed me and wanted to know if I was continuing with this story and I was kicked into overdrive and worked really hard to get a post out. Kuro also helped me decide which version I should write and fixed all of my dumb mistakes. Thank you so much Kuro! Anyway, so here is the Eighth chapter of Carrying On, Living Life. I hope you enjoy!_**

**_DISCLAIMER: Yeah, if I was Hiromu Arakawa or the people who own the anime I would _really _waste time writing a fan fiction to a story. Hmm... Why do we even need disclaimers? The fact that it is on FAN is proof enough that we aren't the actual people who own it. The title is self explanatory, really. _**

Oh, and on a side not it is pronounced Ka-riss-uh. And Riss-uh. Just so you know.

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_**Chapter Eight: Four Years Past**_

_Dust swirled around her, sand stinging her skin and masking her vision. The sun beat down on her, forcing her to nearly shut her eyes to see. Buildings rose around her, shielding her from the churning dust and sand. A figure's silhouette appeared in the distance and she strained her eyes, trying to see who it was._

_"Lily..." The person's voice called through the storm. She strained her eyes further, trying to ignore the sand stinging her eyes. "Liiiilllleeee..." the voice called again, and Lily moved forward quickly, needing to know who was calling her. Just as the silhouette began to clear up enough so that she could tell it was a woman, a familiar voice called; __it__ sounded like a fog than a storm._

_"Mommy! Mama, wake up!" Lily turned and saw –_

"Mommy!" Lily jolted awake, breathing heavily. She was in her bedroom at Resembool, not in the middle of a sandstorm in a desert town. She turned her head to see little Karisa looking at her inquisitively. "Mama okay?" the three year old asked, her big brownish-gray eyes showing the same concern that her father's always showed. Lily smiled and pushed away her thoughts of the strange dream, stroking her daughter's hairgently.

"I'm fine, Risa," Lily told her softly, using the little girl's pet name. She pushed away the blankets and pulled a robe on over her large pair of sweatpants and oversized shirt, one of Al's shirts. "You hungry?" She asked her daughter.Karisa nodded excitedly and raced out the door, heading for the kitchen. Lily smiled to herself, the joy she felt every time she watched Karisa seemed to make the strange dream melt away. However, Lily couldn't help but wonder just who that woman was and how she knew her name. She sighed to herself and exited the room, heading down the stairs after her daughter. When she reached the kitchen, Winry was already there, drinking from a mug of coffee or tea. She was smiling slight at Karisa who was currently bouncing around the room with their dogKisu, excitedly. When Lily entered, both Karisa and Kisu bounded over, Karisa hugging her around her legs and Kisu licking her hands happily. Lily laughed and pushed them both away, walkingover to the stove and retrieving ingredients for breakfast.

"Do you need any help?" Winry asked, starting to rise from her seat.

Lily held her spatula out at Winry, saying, "No, you sit and enjoy your drink, Winry." Winry sighed but smiled softly.

"I am pregnant, not an invalid and not dying of a fatal disease," she muttered. Lily chuckled to herself, remembering how she told Ed the same thing when she was pregnant with Karisa. Her surrogate brother had tried to make it impossible for her to even stand without someone helping her when she had been pregnant with Karisa; and that had been when she was only four or five months along. When Lily had pointed out to Ed, back when Karisa was merely an infant, about how odd it was that he had been more protective of her during her pregnancy than he had been when Winry had been pregnant with Matthew, he had responded that he didn't have to worry about Winry because he was right there with her. He had said Al would kill him if anything happened to her or Karisa. Lily couldn't help but privately agree with him. If Al came back to find that she or Karisa had been injured or hurt, he would _murder_ Ed.

Lily's mind drifted back to when she had been pregnant with Karisa. She had been so scared and nervous. She had felt so alone without Al. When Karisa was born Lily decided that she would no longer be the depressed person she had been since Al had been taken. She would be happy and content with how her life was, and it had worked for the most part. She loved Karisa and Winry and Ed and Matthew and she knew she would love the niece or nephew that was on the way. She loved Riza and Roy and Emily and Mark, their son who was Karisa's age. The only times that were truly difficult were the nights; it was in the night when Al's absence was so pronounced. It was when she was lying awake in bed, alone, that she missed him most. She did not let her sadness rule her life anymore, though. She needed to live and be happy for Karisa so that her daughter could grow up to be happy and healthy too. It wasn't always easy, though. This probably mostly had to do with the fact that Karisa was the spitting image of her father; she had his hair and his eyes and the same caring manner. Although, the little girl also had the same stubborn streak that ran in both Al and Lily. It was hard for Lily to not think of Al when she looked at Karisa, sometimes, and she always hated when she thought of him when looking at herchild. She shouldn't be thinking of Al when looking at Karisa. Karisa Winifred Elric was her own person, not just a channel for Lily to grieve over the absence of her husband.

Lily was broken from her thoughts when Ed entered with Matthew perched in his arms. The little boy was the spitting image of Winry except for his gold eyes that were identical to his father's. He greeted Lily and kissed his wife, letting the still sleepy Matthew crawl from his arms to go and chase after Karisa and Kisu. Ed sat at the table and Lily couldn't help but smile. Ed was happier than Lily had ever seen him. Contentment seemed to radiate from his very being. She knew, however, that he missed his little brother. It showed sometimes, especially when Karisa would do something that would remind him of Al. His eyes would turn soft as he would gaze at the little girl before growing hard and forcing a smile.

Karisa, Matthew, and Kisu stopped running as Lily piled the pancakes onto a plate and carried it to the table. She had Ed get syrup, orange juice, and milk (who blanched at the mere thought of the dairy product and muttering something along the lines of "cow secretion") and bring them to the table. Lily watched as Karisa climbed happily into her chair, singing a nonsensical song that obviously delighted the child. Matthew smiled and clapped his hands as Kisu licked his toes.

Ed studied Lily, trying to be inconspicuous. She had dark circles under her eyes and seemed to be plagued with something that was lasting forweeks. Whenever he would ask her, she would brush it off and say that he was just imagining things. Ed wasn't sure whether he should believe her or not. All he knew was that something was bothering her and that it was affecting her pretty badly. She seemed like she was walking through a dream and it was really unnerving him. He finally decided that he needed to ask her, needed to get an answer.

"Sleep well, Lily?" he asked, his voice a forced calm.

She studied him for a moment, and then nodded slightly. "I had a weird dream, that's all. I'm fine." Ed sighed, knowing he would learn nothing more from her at the moment.

* * *

_The wind howled around her once more and kicked up a whirl of sand in its wake. Lily could see the, now, familiar buildings around her, except they were more clear than they had ever been before. She moved through the streets, ignoring the sting of sand against her face. People past her in the opposite direction, not even glancing at her. The sand masked the people from view and she walked on, following the airy voice that called to her._

_"Lily... Lily..." The voice was louder, and closer, than she had ever heard it before. She began to run towards it, needing to see who was calling out to her. The voice grew louder as she moved farther down the street and soon it was as if the person__was right next to her. _

_"Where are you?" Lily shouted, spinning around and squinting through the sand and dust. "Where are you?!"_

_"Lily." The voice spoke just behind her and Lily spun around, finally meeting the face of the woman who had been calling her. _

* * *

Lily sat in the grass, a small notebook on her lap with the face of the woman sketched upon the sheet of paper. She glanced up every now and then from the sketch to check that Karisa and Matty weren't getting into trouble. She sighed heavily and looked down at the face on her paper. The previous night she had finally seen the face of the woman had been calling her name for two weeks. Yet, the mystery was still unsolved because she did not know who the woman was. She sighed once more, knowing that even though she knew what the woman looked like, she was still no further in discovering who she was or what she wanted. Suddenly, Lily was covered in a shadow. She looked up to see Ed bent over her, looking at the sketch on her lap. 

"Where did you get that?" he asked, his voice inquisitive.

"I drew it." Lily said calmly, if not slightly confused.

"Lily... how do you know... her?" he asked cryptically.

Lily shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Well... I've been hearing her in my dreams. I saw her last night. Why? Do you recognize her?" Lily was more urgent know. If Ed knew the woman, it would be that much easier to find her and see why in the world she was dreaming of her.

"I don't just _recognize _her, Lils" Ed said oddly. "I _know _her. It's Rose."

Lily racked her brain until the metaphorical light bulb went off in her head. "Do you mean Rose from Liore?" Ed nodded and Lily continued to speak with a newfound fervor. "Do you know where she is now? Is she still in Liore?"

"I-I don't know. Winry might-" Lily didn't stay for him to finish. Lily quicklymade her way back up to the house.

"Winry!" Lily exclaimed when she entered.

"Lily? What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked anxiously, exiting the kitchen.

Lily shook her head. "No, no, just - do you know where Rose is?"

Winry looked confused. "Rose?"

Lily nodded. "Rose. Ed and Al met her in Liore –"

"Oh! She moved back to Liore a while ago. She's still there as far as I know" Winry said, sitting on the couch and leaning her head back.

"When did you last talk to her?"

"Oh... it would have been about... Oh! I phoned her after I found out I was pregnant again" Winry finally concluded.

"So she's still in Liore? Really?" Lily was cut off from asking anymore questions because Ed entered the house with Karisa and Matthew hot on his heels, still shrieking in delight from being chased by Kisu.

"Lily-" Ed began, but Lily cut him off.

"We'll talk later, Ed, okay?" Lily asked him and went to pick up Karisa. The little girl wrapped her small arms around her mother and nestled her face into Lily's neck.

The three did not have a chance to talk about anything until later that night when Karisa and Matthew had been put to bed. Currently, Ed and Winry were sitting on the couch and across from them was Lily, sitting in the comfortable armchair. They were arguing about Lily's desire to go to Liore, but trying to do so in a manner that would not wake the children.

"Ed, I _have _to go there!" Lily exclaimed. "I've been dreaming about a woman that I've never met, a woman I've only heard of once in my life! I need to see why!"

"And what about Karisa?" Ed asked her, leaning forward, perching his elbows on his knees. "Are you just going to leave her here while you go off to the other side of the country?"

"I'll take her with me," Lily responded. She spoke again when he looked at her disbelievingly. "Karisa has never seen anything of Amestris except for Central and Resembool. She'll enjoy the trip. Even if nothing comes of it, _I'll _enjoy the trip because I haven't seen anything but Central or Resembool either." She leaned forward to mirror Ed's position. "Ed, please understand. I _need _to see her. What if she has been having dreams about me like I've been having about her? What if we're... _supposed _to meet? I just... I need to know the truth. Please, Ed... try to understand."

Ed sighed heavily. He really didn't want Lily and Karisa to leave. If they left, he wouldn't be able to look after them as he had vowed he would. He couldn't go with them because Winry needed him here; besides, his wifewasn't in any state to travel the long journey to the desert city. He didn't have a choice, though; he was backed into a corner. "Fine, Lils. Just... promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

Lily smiled and laughed. "I won't, but I have to admit it is very amusing to have to promise this to you of all people, Edward Elric, who was the epitome of reckless deeds in his youth." Ed smiled but both Lily and Winry could tell it was only half-hearted. Lily stood and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, Ed. _We'll _be fine. You don't have to worry about Karisa and me." Lily left, and departed to her room.

"She'll be okay, Ed. She can take care of herself," Winry assured him, rubbing his back in small circles with one hand.

"For once I just wish our lives could remain uncomplicated. Is that really so much to ask?" he muttered. And once again Ed found himself thinking, _Al... Where _are _you?_

* * *

He gasped in pain as he was forced under the shockingly cold water once more. He attempted to struggle, even whileknowing it was useless. If there was one thing he had learned in the years he had been trapped in this hovel, it was that resistance was a futile effort. Despite this, he struggled anyway. He wasn't going to just sit back and let them torture him. He gasped for air as he was wrenched back to the surface. He drew in sweet, ragged gulps of air, his long and scruffy hair falling into his face as two men supported him, holding him under his arms. 

"How do you feel, Mr. Elric?" The voice came through a speaker from the other side of the inch-thick one-way glass. The cold voice was familiar to Alphonse, even if he had never seen the man's face. It was the voice that had ordered all of the tortures and tests he was forced to endure.

"I n-nearly d-drowned. How d-do y-you _think _I f-feel?" Al retorted back, trying to put as much malice as possible into his voice despite the shivering. Everything was silent in the dark and spacious room that had become so familiar to Alphonse Elric. It had been one of only two rooms that he had seen in the past two years. The other room was his cell and this room... well, Al referred to it as the Torture Chamber. In the past two years Alphonse had been brutally tortured in a way that not even the Nazis had achieved. They had pushed him beyond his limits. Fortunately for Alphonse, they did not want him dead and they always kept a doctor, albeit not a very good one, on standby. He had come close to dying too many times to count before the doctor "fixed him up." He had lost count of how many times he had literally died and been brought back a minute later.

"Mr. Elric, do you ever intend to cooperate with us?" The cold voice asked. The man's voice was filled with tired exasperation.

"Why should I cooperate with you?" Al snarled, so angrily that his shivering ceased. "You kidnapped me, you tortured me! You _threatened my wife!_ Why the _hell _should I cooperate with you?"

Al waited in tense silence as the man seemed to hesitate or pause before speaking. "Were you aware, Mr. Elric, that your wife was pregnant when you were brought here?" Al's eyes widened in shock. _Pregnant?_ He thought to himself. _Lily was... pregnant? She had a baby?_ "Karisa Winifred Elric. Birth date: October third. Three years of age." The man paused and Al waited in awful anticipation, not knowing if he was going to threaten Karisa as he had threatened Lily. _I have a daughter._ Al thought. _Karisa. I have a daughter. I'm a father. _Then another thought occurred to him. _No... Lily's been alone. She's been alone raising a _baby. _She's been alone just like Mom was... _"If you cooperate with us, Mr. Elric, we will release you. You will be free from this place and we will never bother you again. Is it a deal?"

_What if they're tricking you?_ A snide voice in his mind questioned. _What if they made her up? What if there is no Karisa Winifred?_

_How could they know about Winnie? Lily named her after her friend, obviously. How could they have guessed that? _He thought this desperately, needing it to be true. Needing _Karisa _to be true.

_They know she's from another world, don't they? They've already proved that. They could have easily found out about Winnie. _

"How do I know that you aren't lying to me, that you aren't tricking me so you can get me to cooperate?" Al questioned, his fierceness diminished slightly.

"If we can get you proof, Mr. Elric, will you cooperate?" The man asked inquisitively.

Al hesitated before answering, thinking of Lily and, if she was real, Karisa. They needed him. He had to do it; he had no other choice. There _was _no other choice, really. There was no contest. So Alphonse answered in the only way he could. He nodded and said quietly, almost in a murmur, "Yes."

* * *

_**So, there it is! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I will promise that I will attempt to get the next chapter out soon, but you know how life goes... Okay, let's put it this way: There is a better chance of me getting a chapter out during Christmas break because I won't have anything to do. Until then... the chances are slim. Then again, vacation is next week! For me, at least. Well, Happy Christmas or... whatever it is you celebrate! Thanks again Kuro!**_

**_xoxoxo KT_**


	10. Not a chapter, a note from the author

A NOTE FROM YOUR AUTHOR!

Okay guys, just a quick note. I'm really sorry about how long I've had this story on hiatus. I've just been so caught up in other things and I can't seem to get creative juices flowing for this story.

So I have a proposition to make. Well, not really a proposition but a warning. I'm going to try and rewrite the story. I'm really just conflicted about where this has gone. I'm not happy with Lily's character and want to change that. So, I am going to repost the entire story. Don't be surprised when I've changed a lot of things, especially with Lily's past. Thanks for reading and I would really appreciate a review telling me what you think and any suggestions that I could use in the rewrite. Constructive criticism is now a neccessity. I love all of you and thanks for sticking with me!

xoxo KT


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